The Legend of the Night Sky
by Flare Warrior
Summary: Superhero AU. Harry has returned to the Hero force after a gunshot wound altered his superpowers. Merlin finds him a partner to help.
1. Chapter 1

Alarms screeched in warning against the vaulted ceiling of the bank, echoing out onto the streets, informing no one of anything they didn't already know. The hostages shook and huddled with their heads on their knees as masked men hurried to stuff as much money as they could carry into black sacks.

It was all very pedestrian. Broken glass crunched under Harry's Oxfords as he stepped inside. Two of the more excitable robbers brought their guns up level with him at the sound, the others following suit when the first two started shouting for him to _get out_ and _get on the floor_.

"Well which is it?" Harry asked, raising his hands slowly. The other three joined in on the yelling and Harry sighed. He watched them much the way he might watch a traffic jam on his morning commute.

"It's rude to talk over other people," Harry took another step into the bank, goading them.

On cue, one of the twitchier robbers opened fire. Harry smiled as he tore a hole in the air between himself and the bullets, flat and endless black swallowing them before they reached their target.

"Fuck, I know this one! That's Galahad!"

"Nightshade, actually, and I'd thank you to remember it," Harry withdrew the void with only a modicum of difficulty. The vague coldness in his skin faded with it, but the sour taste in his mouth at the name remained. "Now, why don't you come quietly out and turn yourselves over before someone gets hurt?"

"We're fucked," said the man who had recognized him, lowering his weapon a fraction. The others wavered, the whites of their eyes visible in their masks as they looked between him, each other, and the cash.

"Do take your time," Harry murmured.

The one who fired was the first to organize his priorities.

"Hell no, I ain't goin' to prison!" With that he swung his gun around to the hostages. Several cried out and huddled tighter against the counter where they'd been corralled.

"I wouldn't do that." Harry warned.

"Screw you, hero! You might be bulletproof, but they ain't!"

"Rottie what the _fuck_ , you said nobody would get hurt!"

"Said a lot of shit to get you to shut your mo-"

Helpfully distracted, 'Rottie' missed the moment when Harry closed the distance between them. Harry slammed the gun into the counter, catching Rottie's hand between cold metal and hard oak where it made a satisfying crunch. He felt a grin tug at his lips when he snapped his elbow back into Rottie's nose, feeling something give under the blow.

He was not quite so elegant as before, with only his bare hands to fight with, but elegance was not a requirement for success. Rottie fell howling, his mask shining wet with blood, and Harry spun away to the next closest robber. This one raised his gun, but Harry rammed the barrel up into his face before he could fire. The gun slipped from his hands as he stumbled and Harry caught his leg, let him trip, and whipped the butt of the gun against his forehead, sending him sprawling.

The others had their weapons up, save the one who knew him, and Harry opened another void to catch the bullets. He waited patiently for them to run out. Much as he hated to admit it, a savage part of him enjoyed even the easiest of hero jobs. There was a lightness to his limbs he hadn't felt in the two years since Valentine. But he was operating more on muscle memory than actual thought. This was a rather basic job, after all. So while he couldn't be blamed, it caught him quite by surprise when he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye and turned to find himself staring down an explosion.

"Shit," he ripped the void wider to catch it, _too wide_ , but even as the chill broke out over the left side of his face the blast hit.

Harry's power consumed it, but even so the heat and force of the shot seared his exposed skin, knocked him back against the counter. He threw his arms across his face to block out the blinding light and rode it out. The hostages screamed in fear, and Harry felt the moment when he overcompensated, when he wouldn't be able to close the breach.

 _Where the hell had that come from?_

The shot died off like the afterimage of taillights, and Harry lowered his arms to stare - at the fifth robber, the one who'd recognized him. He was panting, brilliant green eyes wide and what skin visible around them gleaming with sweat, hands raised and gloves burnt off. Harry suspected exhaustion for a moment, before he caught the glow in his chest that was bright enough now to shine through his hoodie. Exertion, not exhaustion.

From _holding back_.

"Hit him harder!" shouted one of the gunmen, breaking the odd calm. The powered one dropped his hands and glared at the man. _Mistake_.

"You wanna fuckin' die? I can't-"

Harry clocked him with the butt of the gun and he went down, silenced.

"Well," Harry said, looking at the last two "I must say you've squandered some considerable talent."

Half a second later both of them fled through the broken glass into the waiting arms of the police. Harry frowned. Behind him the darkness was shifting, seething. He tapped the side of his mask, opening a com channel.

"Merlin," he began, but was cut off.

"I'm en route."

"Good, thank you," Harry closed the channel, turning to the hostages. "Are you all alright?"

Shaky confirmations greeted him, smiles and wary glances at the rip that was left open. Sweat began to prickle along the edge of his mask, the back of his neck.

"The police are outside. Be careful of the glass."

They trickled out the bank front and for the briefest moment the unpleasant surety that he was being discourteous overtook the strain of containing the void. Then a chill crept along his scalp. He clapped his hand against his left eye, hidden by the gleaming black mask he now wore, in a vain effort to contain the spread. From his uncovered eye, he saw the gaping darkness begin to grow.

A glimmer and a chime like fine china, and light surrounded it. It danced and spun with numbers and sigils and whatever other magic was needed, lovely even bent to things it was not intended for, turned to unyielding steel, and compressed. Slowly the chill receded. Harry dropped his hand and sighed, waiting for the void to be manageable enough to blink from existence.

"Thank you, Merlin," he turned to where Merlin had stepped into the ruined bank. The alarm finally stopped without so much as a flicker of the wizard's eyes. "I apologize for pulling you away from your work."

Merlin only nodded. "That was easy." He observed, drawing Harry's attention to the robbers.

"Child's play," he shrugged. Merlin eyed him for a moment and Harry had to wonder just what he'd been talking about.

But then the scrutiny ended and his eyes fell on the three unconscious robbers, "I heard there was an Imperium among them."

"This one. He'll be difficult to contain, probably Ridgelock. A shame, he might have been a wonderful hero."

Merlin waved his hand and brought up the video feed of the fight, playing it back in the air before him while the police began to filter in. His eyes gleamed, and Harry felt a disconnected sort of pity for the boy over whatever Merlin was dreaming up. A few plays later Merlin vanished the video and gestured for Harry to follow him out.

"We're still looking for a more suitable partner," he began, and Harry braced for the inevitable "it may be best if you're not sent out again without one."

"Surely there are some categories of crime I can be allowed to deal with."

"In theory, it was this category," he turned to Harry at the edge of the police line, frowning. "As much as it can be argued that you're even more of an asset now, the danger you pose without reliable containment is too great for me to condone use of your powers."

Harry's lips thinned "I understand."

Merlin placed a hand on his shoulder "Don't pout. I've an idea, Harry. With any luck, you'll be back on the roster within the week."


	2. Chapter 2

"He's just signed with Adidas," Merlin told him the following Monday as they headed for the thirtieth-floor conference room, their footsteps muffled by soft carpet.

"A newcomer?" Harry frowned - it wasn't fair of him to sweep up a rookie just so he could return to the force.

"Were you hoping I'd missed a certified hero somehow?"

Anything Harry might have had to say on that was cut off by the voice that filtered into the hall. "I don't need a babysitter!"

Merlin ignored the look Harry was giving him and strolled on into the conference room.

Harry spotted his new partner immediately - he was impossible to miss. His hoodie was arguably louder than his voice, his white snapback and winged shoes were branded with his sponsor's logo. His sponsor's contact, who he was squared up against, towered over him much the way Harry would if he stood close. The boy seemed oblivious to both Harry's presence and any intimidation he ought to have felt.

"It's a partnership," the contact began.

"And you're on parole," Merlin added. "You do what I say or it's back to Ridgelock until you're my age."

"I thought I told you I wasn't gonna work in downtown-"

Harry stepped up beside him, frowning, and all at once the boy whipped around and shut his mouth. Harry was momentarily struck by shimmering, gleaming green.

"You're the boy from the bank."

The boy's jaw ticked at the mention. Hoping he wouldn't notice, or ashamed? Since spotting Harry he'd hiked his shoulders up, but otherwise looked to be in a state of suspended animation.

"What's he doin' here?" the boy hedged at last.

Merlin, who had taken to watching them the way he did with all his experiments, replied in his most neutral tone "Harry, meet Eggsy Unwin, hero name Nuke. You're going to be partners."

Harry's eyes flicked to Merlin, "Unwin?"

"Lee's son."

Harry looked back and saw it plain as day, in his cutting bone structure and broad shoulders and intelligent, if defiant, gaze. And that really was the last straw.

"No." Eggsy winced, and Harry couldn't blame him when the word hung so sharp in the air. He backtracked a bit, making sure to aim the rest of his argument at Merlin "Certainly he has potential. But he isn't trained - which is worse given his background. And you should at least agree his power is wrong for the purpose."

"I don't or we wouldn't be here. I have reason to believe your powers will match well if you can work together to manage each other." Merlin handed over a tablet with Eggsy's photo splashed across the screen. "And he is trained, as much as we could expect. He has an extensive gymnastic history, he's been through Marine basic, and he has a rather high I.Q."

"Robbing a bank is hardly indicative of intelligence," _and what are you thinking, bringing in Lee's son_ , he was about to add, _even if he wanted to be here, he'll never have a chance to be great if he's stuck with me_.

But Eggsy found his voice at Harry's thoughtless jab. Whatever had stayed his hand was shattered by it, giving his eyes a blazing glint and his lips a sharp sneer. "Oi, if I hadn't done it I wouldn't be here, now would I?"

Harry thought of being forced back against the counter when Eggsy was clearly pulling his punches and frowned. Talent wasted. "Maybe if you hadn't been involved all along you would have been here sooner."

"I should've known you wouldn't be any different." Eggsy scoffed, and every shred of the odd light Harry hadn't even realized was playing in his eyes vanished. It was not, however, gone entirely - again, like in the bank, Eggsy's chest had begun to glow.

"Any different from whom, dare I ask?"

Eggsy threw his hand out to indicate the contact and possibly the world at large "All the other rich snobs who think they know so much better than everybody else. The Ivory Tower ain't even a metaphor, you actually call it that and look down on people from it. What the fuck was I supposed to do? Nobody wants to employ a guy who might blow them up, and sponsors only take kids from the top of the classes at them fancy trainin' schools. So maybe I could have been like you, but weren't nobody gonna give me a chance, now was they?"

"Enough." Merlin snapped before Harry could digest that enough to respond. When he looked, he had the oddest feeling that Merlin was disappointed in him. "You'll have plenty of time to argue on the helicopter. You're due at hangar nine in ten minutes."

Eggsy's sharp " _What?_ " only drowned out Harry's words for a moment.

"Merlin, you can't be serious."

"Harry, it's this or you're benched." Merlin replied "Eggsy, you know your options. Now out, I've a flood to manage."

Harry was too familiar with Merlin's special brand of dismissal to think he had any chance of arguing further. They'd have to let this play out, and if it was a disaster then, well, he had to hope it wouldn't be. Eggsy, for his part, was sufficiently cowed at the reminder of his position, but Harry could at least comfort himself in the obvious knowledge that he was not alone in his displeasure.

"Very well, Merlin," Harry murmured. Merlin was too familiar with him not to notice how his misgivings laced his tone. He turned to the door, took two steps, and paused to glance back at Eggsy "You heard him. Come along."


	3. Chapter 3

Eggsy fell into step beside Harry as they passed through the door, slouched low in the hopes his hoodie might swallow him and help him avoid the situation.

Five days ago he was being booked next to Porco Rosso the anamorphic plane-jacker on his way to superhero Alcatraz, and now here he was walking around the thirtieth floor of the Ivory Tower. _So much for crime not paying_ , he thought, but the joke fell flat in his own head because he was so far out of his depth it wasn't even funny.

Maybe at eighteen he would have been ecstatic, would have felt like all his dreams had gone and come true. But he wasn't eighteen. His rap sheet was a short story verging on novella, and he wasn't in the business of hanging out where he was obviously not wanted. Not if he could help it, anyway.

He stole a glance at his new partner. Harry's agitation was still burning beneath the surface, but he was ever the calm, reserved gentleman. His strides were long and sure as he led them off to the hangar, all sleek lines and obvious power. The only reason Eggsy hadn't recognized him on sight in the bank was that he'd changed his uniform.

Harry still favored a bespoke suit, but it was as black as a lake at midnight down to the tie. His hair was the same, if hinting towards grey at the temples, smooth and impeccable, but for the first time in thirty years he wore a mask. And it was, like everything else, black. It covered his eyes and cheeks and part of his forehead, ran jagged at the edges and swooped back further on one side than the other. One eye was clear of cover, a warm, enchanting brown, and the other was hidden behind tinted glass.

Thing was, Galahad wore white.

But whether he was Nightshade or Galahad, whatever he called himself, he was still _Harry fuckin' Hart_. The last of the original heroes - if you didn't count Merlin - still active on the task force.

And he was Eggsy's partner.

Fuck.

It felt like irony was punching him in the face when the White Knight himself had sprung up from the grave just to stop Dean's get rich quick scheme, an _'in case you wanted to know how far you've fallen, Eggsy_ ' from fate itself. At least Harry'd turned out to be a prick. Not that Eggsy had a right to blame him for acting that way after the whole bank-robbery-turned-explosion thing. He snapped his eyes forward again and did his level best to stop thinking.

"If there's any time once we reach the hangar, you ought to show me what you can do," Harry said, and Eggsy barely managed not to jump.

His gaze skittered around and then landed back on Harry "What, indoors?"

"Oh honestly, you can't even control your power to an extent to be used indoors?" Harry sighed, radiating disappointment.

Eggsy bristled, flushing in anger and embarrassment. "You're one to fuckin' talk."

This got him an obvious reaction: Harry's visible eye finally fell on him and narrowed "I was shot in the head. So far as I know you haven't been."

 _Nice one, Eggsy_ , he thought, grimacing internally while he hunched a bit further into his hoodie. Jesus shit, could this be going any _worse?_

Before either one of them could try to pick up the thread of the disastrous conversation and make a go at finding a rockier bottom, they rounded a corner and came into the wide, high-ceilinged hangar. White lights were swallowed by matte black walls and metal supports, shined only on the gray and marked floor that spread from wall to wall. Eggsy almost stumbled on air when he looked around.

In either direction a row of various flight vehicles sprawled. On one end a small charter jet sat dormant, beside it a small, windowed helicopter. As he stared Eggsy got the feeling there was some vicious order to it - twenty planes and helicopters, from the jet to the other end, where a stealth fighter idled, all lined up in order of increasing deadliness.

Hangar nine was marked by a white number on a pillar beside a fat, two-rotored helicopter, painted, as all the vehicles were, with the logo of the London Hero Division. The blades were already spinning and as Eggsy watched, two people clambered into the body.

Harry strode for it, and as they neared the wind whipped away what calm their argument had bestowed. Eggsy stopped in the middle of the hangar as the back wall started to raise in preparation of their departure, teeth grit so hard his jaw ached. Harry had said it himself - Eggsy wasn't trained. And you couldn't send just anyone out to save the day, could you?

Harry went two more steps before he noticed and turned around, his black suit fluttering in the wind, and looked mildly confused as Eggsy's gaze flickered between him and the helicopter.

"You won't be the only one in there afraid of heights, if that's the problem." He said, his tone lighter than Eggsy had yet heard it.

But Eggsy shook his head "Nah gov. But I ain't gonna do no good out there with you lot. 'S like you said, I haven't got the first clue of how to do this."

"Ah," Harry slid a hand in his pocket, a casual gesture but until Eggsy knew better he was tempted to call his posture abashed. "You don't need training to be a hero. Lord knows I never had any." And that would make sense, wouldn't it? Galahad the White Knight, a member of the first batch of humans to wake up one morning with powers, couldn't possibly have had a teacher. Any rules in place now were something he and the others had set the precedence for. "I won't say it isn't helpful, but a little enthusiasm and a few missions should be just as good."

If it wasn't coming from Harry Hart, Eggsy might have said _'put that pep talk back in the cereal box where you found it'._ But it was Harry, and Eggsy really, really wanted to believe him. He didn't quite, since Harry was _Galahad,_ who started out an upstanding citizen, and who never had to learn that mistakes were more easily forgiven when it wasn't only one idiot who had no idea what he was doing.

Harry might have huffed, Eggsy couldn't tell over the sound of the blades, and stepped forward, evidently privy to Eggsy's continued hesitation.

"I knew your father," he started, and Eggsy's eyes met his darker ones in surprise.

"I know."

Harry nodded "No matter how briefly he was with us, Lee was a hero. Neither Merlin nor I would be here without him. He was very brave, and very kind. If you inherited nothing else but those from him, then he'll have given you a great deal. And you'll make a very fine hero indeed."

Harry was looking at him with something like warmth, and it was spreading to Eggsy's chest, and fuck, it was probably visible as an over-bright glow through his shirt. Ten minutes ago Harry was a snob. It shouldn't have been allowed for him to switch gears and say shit like he'd just said.

The blades kicked up and Eggsy caught his hat before it flew off from the force of the wind. Harry looked so indignant when his hair finally got tossed from its styled coif that it startled a laugh from Eggsy, and the moment was broken.

"Come on, they're getting impatient."

Shortly they were seated and in the air, headsets on and London sprawling out below them. It was all Eggsy could do not to stare down out of the little windows.

There were two others on board with them. He knew them both, Tripoint and Don Juan, recent additions but gaining notoriety. Both were the trust-fund type, sporting beautifully tailored suits without even a hint of a logo, just like Harry, and the vast majority of heroes. Since the early days, only the rich could afford to fight crime all day without a paycheck, on top of funding all their gadgetry. Sponsors were a relatively new, and not unanimously liked, concept.

Tripoint was a thin girl, but he knew better. Though she seemed distracted now - she must have been the one Harry mentioned was afraid of heights - he'd seen some of her fights. Density manipulation, he recalled, which meant nobody could hit her because she'd turn to mist if they tried, then solidify, land like a brick, and throw punches backed with the force of a semi-truck. Her sharp edges were controlled, though, and outside of her wrath she seemed to be a kind girl. She offered him a wan smile once he was seated, which was more than he could say for the second of the two.

Don Juan, in contrast, looked like someone distilled every negative upper-class stereotype and funneled the dredges into one person. Physically attractive for sure, but otherwise revolting enough to put him off without a second glance. The man only proved his point by sneering and turning up his nose after giving him a long once-over.

"Who the fuck is the sponsored kid?"

If Harry hadn't done a complete one-eighty over the morning he might have replied with something scathing. "Eggsy," he said instead "Nuke, I guess."

"You guess," he mocked "What's your power, Nuke?"

"Fusion."

It was Harry who cut into the conversation next, his voice almost shocked as it filtered into Eggsy's ears through the headset "As in _nuclear_ fusion?"

And now the fight was back on, Eggsy seething against Harry's disapproval "Yeah, and fuck me if I can't control a star, right? My powers ain't easy to contain."

"My god, how did we let you slip through our fingers?"

Harry's words, while mysterious enough that Eggsy had no plans of letting them go, were quiet and to himself, and lost when Don Juan drawled "Oh, no, mine too."

Eggsy turned and saw the most drop-dead gorgeous creature ever to walk the earth. He felt suddenly high, everything else in the world dropping away or lending itself to the vision before him. The creature's skin glowed ethereally in the soft sunlight, his eyes brought out bright and striking by the blue of his vest. Eggsy's lips parted on what he hoped was a prayer.

Harry's palm dropped heavily onto his shoulder.

"Charlie, be a good lad and fuck off."

The helicopter snapped back into focus, along with the butterflies in his stomach and oh, maybe that old crush of his got churned to the surface a bit in the confusion. Harry Hart saying _fuck_ in the queen's English was almost as bad as-

"What the fuck."

Vision returned to normal, Eggsy discovered the person who'd so struck him was actually just Charlie. Charlie only turned haughtier at the dismissal, which Eggsy hadn't thought possible. "As if I'd want a chavy boy like you anyway."

"Thank fuck for that," Eggsy sniped, but it was faint to his own ears.

"Charlie's power is seductive magnetism," Harry's hand was still on his shoulder and he had something awfully close to a glare fixed on Charlie's indifferent form. "He rather enjoys bothering the new recruits with it."

A woman stepped out of the cockpit then, a clipboard in hand, and Harry moved towards her, breaking the odd tension in the air. "What's the mission?" Eggsy heard him ask over the headsets.

"Flooding from the Thames throughout most of the city." The woman replied, broadcasting to all of them "Merlin's isolated the source to an Imperium in the vicinity of Poplar."

Eggsy looked out the window, saw that the streets had an unusual shine for as far as the eye could see "Hold on, that's all 'cuz of a person?"

"Shit," Harry muttered, running a hand through his hair "I didn't think we'd have to fight - this was a terrible idea. We had no time to test our compatibility. We've no idea if he's capable of containing my powers!"

"Merlin's on standby."

Eggsy swung along the canvas grips to stand beside Harry, shaky on the unstable ground. "It ain't gonna matter if I go off, gov!" he shouted "I got a whole lot of fuckin' problems with this! There's a fuckin' reason I said I wouldn't work in populated areas!"

Their coms sighed to life with a new voice, Merlin's exasperation clear as he spoke. "Nuke, the next time you have a problem with my decisions you say them to my face. Nightshade knows better. Now," two new breathing patterns joined the background of the discussion, and Eggsy realized Merlin's words had only been for him and Harry "Tripoint, Don Juan, you're taking the lead. Find the Imperium and put a stop to the flooding. Nightshade, Nuke, you're on evac of the surrounding area."

* * *

"Where is that boy...absolutely useless..." groused a painted skeleton of a woman. Eggsy glanced at Harry, who was busy helping a few suited individuals with autographs, probably, and tried not to groan.

The roof was a little windy, which was to be expected of the top of a twenty-story residential tower in downtown London. The cement under Eggsy's trainers was probably worth more than five or six blocks of the area he grew up in.

It was also infuriatingly far from being in even remote danger from the flooding. At least, if it _was_ in danger then someone had better have an ark, and all of the UK was right fucked.

Not these people though. No, the painted dead and suited fans were, at present, being escorted to various personal airborne transport vehicles on the building's launch pad. Harry and Eggsy weren't even helping to carry anything - the penthousers had servants with them for that. So Eggsy's first mission with the Ivory Tower was to look pretty for some obscenely rich individuals who were, more than likely, enjoying themselves.

But it was that, which got him a salary that he could have personally restocked that bank with, and a house for his mum, and would hopefully lead to _something_ cool in the future, or be cellmates with the pig-man. He grit his teeth and pretended it was a smile.

"Missin' someone?" Eggsy asked. The question, or more likely his accent, earned him a disdainful curling of her lip, but eventually she deigned to reply.

"My valet. He ran off on his phone, you youth are-"

"I'll look for 'im," Eggsy said, already heading off.

Everyone on the roof who wasn't rich and eccentric was in a suit, so Eggsy probably should have tried to squeeze a little more of a description out of her, but he wasn't inclined to go back. Anyway, the assistant turned out to be a bit obvious, since there was only one person tucked behind the roof access with his phone jammed into his ear.

"Hey mate," Eggsy greeted "if I'm bein' honest I'd rather drown than be stuck with that old hag too, but my job's to save you so you better just think of England."

"What? Sorry love, there's a hero here..."

Eggsy caught the sweat on the assistant's wrinkled brow and nodded to the phone "Everythin' alright?"

"My girl," he covered the microphone and winced when the voice on the other end got louder to compensate "we live in Lansbury, says there's two feet of water in the living room."

"She's still there?" Eggsy cast a glance at the rising waters in the distance.

"Yeah, she's not sure where to go if she leaves."

Eggsy rocked on his heels a bit, rubbed a hand over his face. "Alright, look, you won't be no good to her stranded downtown. You take care of moneybags and I'll see what I can do about your lady, yeah?"

The assistant bit his lip, eyes shining "Yeah. Yeah alright," he uncovered the mouthpiece, talking softly but quickly to his girlfriend for another few moments before hanging up. Eggsy thought he might have heard something about a 'new hero' who was 'going to try to send someone', and he let it slide and went to find Harry among the other rich people. He located his partner helping a young and stunning blonde up a set of stairs and couldn't keep from rolling his eyes. The girl looked like she might faint.

Once she was safely inside he tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Oi, Harry," he asked when the man turned, and alright, maybe he understood the swooning a little bit. Harry was tall and broad and always a charmer, and he looked like some broody bad-boy with his new goth aesthetic. Eggsy liked his face, if he was being honest, but the mask might have been doing it for him too. "Who's evacuating Tower Hamlets?"

"I assume the authorities."

"So nobody," Eggsy looked past him to where the old woman was raging about lazy millennials and technology and how in her day people respected their elders, probably the most fun she'd had in years, to the worried assistant carrying her suitcases. He returned his gaze to Harry, resolved. "There's people down on the ground whose houses are underwater, Harry. These people got private helicopters and servants to carry their shit to 'em. We're just props."

"We're being kept away from the fight," Harry said, but he was looking at the penthousers too. "Merlin knows what he's doing. Neither you nor I is safe close to the action."

"Well, we're out in it anyway. Look, you can stay here and keep doin' your meet 'n greet, but I'm goin' there and helpin' the people who actually who need it."

Harry frowned another moment without answering. Eggsy figured he had the situation under control and turned away. "Wait," Harry called "we have to stick together. We are partners after all." He tapped his mask, opening a channel to Merlin, "Let me tie things up here. It should only take a moment."

"Yeah, alright," Eggsy agreed, heading for the edge of the roof. Harry watched him go, forehead creasing. Eggsy turned back once he was there. "You think I'm takin' twenty flights of stairs?" he winked "See you on the ground."

There was, in point of fact, one other thing Eggsy could do without igniting the atmosphere. And he'd never been happier for his powers than for the split second he got to see Harry's eyes go wide and lips part in shock.

Then he was falling, from farther than he ever had before, but the concept was the same. He let the wind whip past him for a few floors, felt the joy and freedom of his version of flight, then righted himself and set off the tiniest explosion under his right foot. He leapt off from the jolt, fell a bit more, and set off another under his left.

He felt himself smiling - running down thin air was the best thing about his powers. He was sweating when he neared the pavement with the sustained effort of not blowing up the city, but it was well worth it. He hadn't really thought this through, he supposed, since now he'd be stuck waiting around on the ground for Harry.

Except when he got there he found an odd black swirl waiting for him. He was about to rub his eyes - the thing was so black it hurt to look at - when Harry stepped primly though. With a wave of his hand he shut the breach, then gave Eggsy a look colored with patented Bambi-eyed innocence. "Effective, I suppose," he nodded to Eggsy's feet.

"That is sick," Eggsy grinned. "Can you send anyone through there?"

"Only myself. Which means if I ever fail to contain the spread of my powers and they swallow the Earth, I'll have a few days to think about what I've done before I follow it into oblivion."

"Morbid."

"I suppose." Harry replied with a sardonic tilt to his lips, then changed the subject "Might I ask how you're planning to get to the estates?"

Eggsy had a plan, but the water lapping over the top of his trainers made ' _nick a car_ ' seem like a bad idea. Also, the whole right-side-of-the-law gig. Harry continued without Eggsy having to say any of that, thankfully.

"Lucky for you, Merlin is well on his way to omnipotence," a sound like a strong wave of water or a gust of wind echoed off the buildings. Something black and fast zipped its way around a corner and up the street towards them, and Eggsy gaped.

"You got your own batmobile?" he asked when the floating car stopped in front of them. It, like the rest of Harry's ensemble, was black and sharp-edged, with wings that swooped back into points and, wonder of wonders, two side-by-side seats.

"Nonsense, they all look like this," Harry replied, then "would you like to drive?"

" _Yes,_ Harry."


	4. Chapter 4

Eggsy swung himself up into the driver's seat and glided his hands reverently over the leather steering wheel. Harry stepped in a moment later, and never once did the hovercar tip under the shifting weight. Eggsy looked at him with a mad grin on his face - the speedometer went up to five-hundred kph.

"Ready for this?" Eggsy asked.

You'd think Harry had gotten his way over something to look at him, but Eggsy couldn't imagine he wouldn't want to drive the beast of a car. He cast a bland look at Eggsy. "I've ridden in every model of these we've ever made."

Eggsy put the car in gear. "Ain't never ridden with me, gov."

With a whoop of delight Eggsy slammed the gas pedal to the floor and they were off like a shot. They whooshed along the wide and empty downtown streets as the speedometer climbed rapidly towards one-hundred, then on higher. Eggsy banked along a building, spraying a wall of water against the windows, then whipped the car to a sharp right turn down a narrower road.

"Fuck yeah!" Eggsy shouted - to hell with superpowers, this was the _shit_.

Harry cleared his throat "Be sure to stay away from the ground. It wouldn't do to hit anyone."

Eggsy spared him a look and found him delicately uncurling his fingers from the armrests, leaving little crescent-shaped marks in the leather. He bit back a grin "Yeah, 'course."

"Nice driving, Eggsy, I'll add that to your list of skills." Merlin chimed from somewhere in the car, sounding impressed.

"Thanks Merlin, this is fuckin' aces," he laughed "Can this thing do a barrel roll?"

"A what?" Harry asked.

"You know, like," Eggsy took a hand off the wheel and made a swoop in the air. He couldn't tell if it was the motion made Harry grimace or the fact that Eggsy was going about two hundred and fifty kilometers an hour one-handed.

"Might I remind you that you've a mission to be completing, Nuke?" Merlin chimed before Harry had a chance to reply.

"Right, right, sorry," Eggsy righted the car and raised it a bit in the air but maintained their speed. That relaxed Harry the rest of the way. He sighed and smiled a bit at Eggsy.

"A legally acquired skill, I'm sure."

"'Course," Eggsy agreed sagely. "What d'you even need all these cool gadgets for anyhow?"

"No one goes into battle with only one piece of gear. The ability to breathe underwater doesn't help anyone in a fistfight, for example. It's important that we send out our heroes as prepared as they can be."

"Yeah, alright. I guess I'm only seeing it 'cuz we needed it."

"Precisely," Harry nodded.

"Though you could just portal yourself everywhere if it wasn't for me. That's new innit?"

"Yes, it is new. I have a limited range, however," he seemed reluctant to continue "It seems you're familiar with my abilities."

Eggsy had to fight not to laugh "Yeah, so is everyone," he replied "last I heard you only had the lightsaber and the shield."

Again, a silence dragged before Harry spoke "Yes, well, I'm afraid I traded the ability to shape my darkness for the teleportation, so I no longer have a," he flashed a small smile "lightsaber. Luckily the shield was always just a formless void."

Ah. Well, it wasn't a bad trade, really. "'S why you beat up Dean's goons with your hands, then."

"Indeed."

"Did pretty fuckin' spectacular anyway. I've always wanted to see them boys get the shit kicked out of 'em."

"Well, so much for brothers in arms." Much as the topic was still contentious, Harry sounded relieved to be on something else.

"Weren't no love lost between me an' them. "

Harry's forehead creased, probably raising his eyebrows under his mask "And you count yourself as separate?"

"They wasn't desperate like me, now was they?"

The high-rises had given way to lower rows of buildings, and they'd begun to rise irregularly again into shabby structures when Eggsy drew the car gently to a halt. The water was higher in the borough, lapping at the knees of the adults out wading through it. City police were ushering what people they could towards shelters, but it was clear they were spread thin.

Eggsy lowered the car and hopped out, wincing when the chill water hit his skin.

"You've ruined your trainers." Harry observed, plunging his much more expensive shoes into the depths.

Eggsy grinned "More where they came from." He looked around, finding his plan needed some detail work "So how do we do this?"

"I'm going to have Merlin install a com line in that snapback of yours," Harry said, but it seemed almost fond "I have the locations of all the local shelters. Merlin's dispatched transport vehicles to the police for anyone who can't make it on foot. We'll be supporting the local response, mostly knocking on doors and helping people on their way."

Eggsy listened to the list of shelters, and they split up and got to work.

"Who the hell are you?" asked a man in the very first flat.

"Eg-" Eggsy paused, "Nuke. I'm a hero." and that, that was true, wasn't it? Eggsy felt something in his chest loosen, and it stayed that way even though the moment went as quick as it came.

The man gave him a skeptical once-over. "They're lettin' in chavs now?"

"I'm here, ain't I?" Eggsy puffed up, and the man grumbled but grabbed a few things and listened to where Eggsy told him to go.

The water kept rising as they went. Now it was at Eggsy's shins, now it was past his knees. He ignored it as best he could, though it was ice cold and didn't bare looking at. He carried children and helped disabled to the transport vehicles that pulled up, and to personal boats driven by normal, every-day people, regular heroes themselves; argued with people sandbagging their living rooms; and didn't use his powers once. Harry seemed to be getting a bit more push-back than him. It was the accent, probably, struck the locals as distinctly upper-class, but everyone listened to Galahad and it wasn't so bad that he couldn't work.

The last flat on the ground floor of one of the last buildings in the area held a woman and her two kids, one just a baby and the other a little boy who looked about two.

"I can't believe they really sent heroes," the woman muttered. Eggsy took her bags for her. He'd seen her pack, and it was a stark contrast to the rich folk uptown with their neatly-packed Armani. The woman had a few framed pictures, a phone, a laptop, some clothes, and the rest of her three bags were baby supplies and favorite toys.

"Did you think we wouldn't come?" Eggsy asked.

"We don't get many heroes out here." She lifted her baby gingerly, "Not that they could do much if we did. But then Darren, he's my boyfriend, he's at work in the city, and he said someone was comin'."

"Oh." _Darren, you better fuckin' love me for this_ , Eggsy thought "He the assistant for some rich bird? If he is he was the one that got us sent here."

Eggsy let her blink at him as he glanced around for the boy. He'd camped out on top of the sofa and was looking at the water with wide, fearful eyes.

"He can't swim," the mother said, rocking her baby like a nervous tick herself.

Eggsy slung the bags over his shoulder and scooped him up too. "Nothin' to worry about babe, we're gonna get this water to go down in no time."

The boy latched on to Eggsy's hoodie while they waded out to the waiting boat. Once aboard, Eggsy dropped his hat onto the boy's head.

"Look, not so scary, right?" he smiled, and the boy made a valiant attempt to return the gesture.

His mother leaned over and pecked Eggsy's cheek before he drew away. "Thanks," she said, and the boat was off.

"Ruining your shoes, giving away your hat, Adidas is going to scold you." Harry said from behind him. They were both drenched to their shoulders and weary from the effort of walking through the lake that was now the borough.

"'S good advertising," Eggsy countered.

Harry was watching the water with an odd look on his face.

"What's up, Harry?"

"Nightshade while we're in the field, please," Harry corrected, then "I believe the Thames is to the East, isn't it?"

Eggsy blinked at the non-sequitur. "Yeah."

Harry nodded "The water has changed direction. It's coming from the north."

"What's-" _that got to do with anything_ , he meant to ask, but before he could a girl stepped into view around the estate building they were next to.

He took a step towards her but Harry caught his arm, tapping his mask with his other hand "Target acquired, send the others to my coordinates."

" _Target acquired_? Harry, she can't be much older than thirteen."

This all caught her attention, of course. She looked at them, her face shining with tears and twisted in misery, and Harry tensed.

"Eggsy, stay close and don't use your powers until you're forced," Harry instructed. Eggsy did both of those things with his next move, so Harry couldn't complain.

"Hey love, you're alright," he called to the girl "You just gotta calm down, yeah?"

"No," the girl mumble-sobbed. Eggsy had a moment of clairvoyance to when Daisy would be that big, moody and conflicted. It had the effect of endearing him to the girl and wishing Arthur, with his powers over time, wasn't a dead arsehole. "No!" the girl screamed dramatically, only she backed it up with an actual flood, which made it really dramatic.

"Shit," Eggsy said as the waters swelled up to his hips. He was about to try again when a tiny, pitiful sound of distress reached his ears.

"If you keep her talking I might be able to-Eggsy!?"

But Eggsy was off, running as fast as the current would let him away from the girl and after the floundering puppy being swept away.

A colossal splash shook the ground beneath him, and Eggsy figured that would be Tripoint, on the scene just in the nick of time like a genuine hero.

He caught up to the puppy at the edge of a park a few blocks away. He swept the little shivering thing up and tucked it into his hoodie. They were both soaked, but Eggsy figured he was at least warmer.

A shriek pierced the air behind him then. The girl was _right_ pissed by something. Probably Charlie, Eggsy thought with a sharp grin, arriving at the worst time like good comic relief. But then he turned and his grin fell away. He'd thought the water was a bit cold this whole time, colder than it should have been, and, well, apparently he wasn't wrong. She had ice powers too, if the frozen spears forming overhead were any indication.

They grew in number and size, gleaming like rough-hewn diamonds and menacing the ground with their sharp points. The dog whimpered. Eggsy waited for a dragged-out instant, and the ice dropped.

"Fuck!" he brought up his free hand and hoped for the best.

Fire burst from his chest and seared the air, sent nearby water into clouds of mist from proximity. He clamped down on it as best he could, tried to keep the tiny leak he'd summoned from ripping into an explosion that would make London a synonym for Chernobyl. More slipped out than he'd wanted, more probably than was safe, and when he shut it off his chest throbbed against the weak point, angered rather than soothed by the burn-off of energy.

When he dared open his eyes the ice was gone and he was alive. The water was calm - Tripoint and Don Juan must have finished their part of the job.

And the high-rise they'd been evacuating earlier was smoking from the fifteenth floor.

"Fuck," Eggsy said again, with feeling. He could just make out a slanted gouge in the building. He'd cut it like a cake, if people cut cakes diagonally, and though the structure was strong, the top wasn't going to stay up for long.

"Shit." Harry, not far off behind him, threw out his hands as if to catch the sliding hunk of architecture with telekinesis. But he didn't have telekinesis. Half a second later a yawning void cracked open the sky beneath the falling upper floors, massive enough to take in the whole of the debris. But as Eggsy watched the black gouge bulged and bubbled, roiled in a creeping expansion. The upper floors of the tower sloughed off and straight into it, harmless and gone forever. But the living darkness remained.

He dropped his eyes to Harry and took a quick step backward. The left side of his head looked like it was on fire, the flames were translucent black, spreading in time with the tower void.

The moment seemed to drag on. Then a flash drew his attention back to the sky, where he found the rift encased in white-green light. It flickered, pulsed, crackled with something darker than lighting, and slowly gave way and shrank.

In reality, it all happened rather quickly. The void blinked out of existence and Harry, no longer burning, sagged where he stood a while. Then he whirled, hands in fists, and strode towards Eggsy.

"You'd better have a damn good reason for running off-" Harry stopped, his fiery gaze falling on the puppy, soaked, whimpering, and paddling still in the air above the at-last receding flood waters. "Is that why you left the fight?"

"'E couldn't swim," Eggsy mumbled.

"There were more important matters to be dealt with," Harry bit out.

"Tripoint had it. Anyway, what good are we if we can't save a fuckin' puppy?"

"What good is a dog if we lose half the city saving it?!"

"Well we didn't, did we?!"

"We _might have_!" Harry bellowed, "You have to weigh the risks of your decisions, the value of what's saved against the value of what might be lost-"

"So the bottom fuckin' line is what bein' a hero's all about?! Who cares if a few people die, so long as Galahad the great has a net positive of lives then it's a good quarter, that it?!"

"A dog isn't a _person_ -"

"Nightshade! Nuke!" Merlin's voice, present, loud, and very angry, startled them out of the argument. Harry turned and both saw him standing on the back of the double-rotored helicopter, and if Eggsy hadn't know better he'd have said the thing was stalled and all the wind and wrath was coming from Merlin. "Get in the fucking helicopter!"

* * *

"You've lost several very generous sponsors their homes," Merlin told them once they were inside. Harry'd cooled to ice since their argument, Eggsy had yet to let go of the dog.

"They'll probably be thrilled. Give 'em something else to complain about." Eggsy muttered "'Sides, I said my powers would be a problem in the city."

"You couldn't possibly have expected this to go well." Harry added, dropping the air temperature about ten degrees by speaking, "Our powers aren't compatible."

Merlin forestalled any further discussion by slamming his hand into the metal frame of the helicopter "Harry, if you're not willing to work with others then you may as well retire now and get out of our hair."

"Oi, what the fuck Merlin." Harry went from blinking at Merlin to blinking at Eggsy, but that was stupid because _who the fuck_ would bench the O.G. hero. Harry didn't deserve to be given shit for what happened. Merlin rounded on him then, scowling just as hard.

"Eggsy, you can't pick and choose where you want to be a hero. If you can't learn to control your powers to some degree then it would be safer for everyone if you gave up and went back to prison." He paused for effect, then went on "I expect both of you to..." Merlin trailed off and Harry snapped to attention.

"Merlin?"

Merlin shook his head, and that was the last of his strength gone. He listed and toppled from his seat, only Harry's quick reflexes saving him from falling to the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

"I hope you know you're perpetuating a stereotype." Eggsy glanced over his shoulder as Harry stepped out onto the roof. Harry might have called him pale before, but with the bright city behind him his skin looked like it was made of moonlight.

Eggsy huffed a soft laugh "It's your fault there is one."

"Fair point," Harry agreed "Couldn't sleep either?"

"I don't."

"Pardon?"

"Sleep. I can't anymore, too much-" Eggsy made a gesture at his chest, indicating the burning light within "energy or whatever. I get maybe an hour every two days."

"That..." Harry paused before he quipped about Eggsy being lucky to have so much spare time. The city lights cast him in stark relief, highlighted the drawn tiredness around his eyes, the too-thin cut of his cheekbones. "...sounds exhausting."

Eggsy shrugged and Harry came up to stand beside him. He bent a bit and set his forearms on the railing, looking out over London's nighttime brilliance. He always enjoyed it from such a high perspective, sprawling lights fighting against the unquenchable darkness, gleaming like jewels in the night. The air at the top of the tower was clearer than below, but still tasted of the city, churned and blended and mixed into a feeling rather than a tangible flavor, all accompanied by the dim throbbing of sirens, the low roaring white noise of people living out their lives, here distant, there drowned out by the wind. An entire city at his feet. Harry wondered if they saw the same thing.

"How's Merlin?" Eggsy asked after a while.

"He's alright, just tired. Containment is not what his powers were meant for," Harry fell into silence for a bit, thinking.

Those who had survived Valentine unscathed were perhaps more burdened than the dead or damaged. Merlin particularly, for having to take over for Arthur under the ever-increasing strain of technological expansions, to which he, by virtue of his power over technology, was connected.

And somewhere under the weight was a man who had been forced, when Valentine's chips went live, to choose between the world and his dearest friends. Ten minutes without their handler while he kept the world from ending and the ground team, all of the original Knights, had managed to lose everything for themselves, whether their lives or more valuable things. Harry would never blame Merlin for his decision. He suspected Merlin blamed himself anyway. And that blame manifested itself as an inability to relax, and a willingness undeserved to help Harry overcome the massive shift in his powers. Perhaps Merlin was right. What use was he if the little good he did was negated by injury to his friends?

Eggsy shifted, and at length Harry drew himself out of his thoughts. "How's the dog?"

Eggsy shrugged again. He looked to be fighting a smile "'e's good. Met the lady who bred 'im, she's gonna let me keep 'im." His good humor vanished then, the lines on his face deepening. "Harry, about runnin' off-"

"It's fine. I won't say what you did was right, but neither was it wrong. We must each choose what kind of heroes we will be, and I can't make that decision for you." He ran a hand through his hair, "You were absolutely right in one thing. I've become too focused on procedure, and afraid of risk. This," he gestured to his eye, hidden as it was, "while a poor excuse for my behavior, has made me harsh and hesitant. I've never had so much power before, you see. It's like the dam broke and nothing I can do will stop it back up."

"Missin' the good old days, Harry?" Eggsy turned and mimicked him on the rail, so the multi-colored city lights played in his eyes "If I'm allowed to call you Harry now."

"Why wouldn't you?" Harry blinked at him.

Eggsy waved at his face "You said not to in the field. You ever take that thing off?"

Harry reached up to touch the edge of his mask, aborting the movement before his fingers made contact. He forgot he was wearing it sometimes, now, didn't feel right without it on.

"I have glasses," he said faintly. "But, yes, I suppose I am missing the old days, as you put it. Time off has granted me an awareness of how our jobs have become cheap and bloated, endless selection processes and response protocols and so on." Harry was musing to himself now, more than anything, but though Eggsy's eyes were on the city Harry knew he was listening "Even the villains have become unimaginative. They see terror attacks on the news and think it might be fun to try, and half blow themselves up making pipe bombs before they even hit the streets. Murder and thievery for their own sakes and nothing more.

"It wasn't like this in the beginning, when the Imperium had only just appeared. Everyone had a dream, whether for good or ill. It was the dawn of a new age, and we were legends. Once the old guard has well and truly fallen I wonder if the newcomers will even recognize a real threat like Valentine before it's too late." He twined his fingers together, thoughtful "What they need is someone to show them fear."

Harry could picture it, a villain who would draw out the entire body of the world's heroes and shake them to the core. A terrible threat to their existence, with a force great enough to teach them, all of them, the fear of loss, the desperation of a true fight with the world at stake. To show them who they were beyond their training, to grow a new breed of unbreakable heroes.

He would need to be better than Valentine, better than any who had come before. While Valentine's plan had had a certain pomp and flourish, sentimentality could be counted among his flaws. Inspired though it may have been, turning Arthur to his plan, he cared too much for his final vision to commit to the destruction that needed to come first. But a villain with only destruction in mind, well, they would find no greater art than in the ruin they wrought.

"Maybe...maybe Charlie, and some of the others, would be better for it." Eggsy's voice broke into his thoughts, "But it wouldn't work on me."

"Are you sure?" Harry's voice sounded somewhat odd to his own ears. Lower and insidious.

Eggsy laughed ruefully "Yeah, I'm pretty fuckin' positive."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm _literally_ a nuclear bomb, Harry. No matter what I come up against, I'll always keep my biggest enemy right here," he jabbed a thumb into his chest "no villain is ever going to strike fear into me the way a crowd of innocent people can." Eggsy flashed him a sad little grin "Figured if anyone got that, you would."

Harry hadn't been aware of what Eggsy's split-second decision, his unremarkable and unglamorous preference for heroism in the field, had done to his own regard for the boy, until, nearly as loud as if he had spoken the words, he thought: _what good would it be then_?

The image shattered in his mind, broken into the short-sighted and generalized thing it really was, and Harry sagged against the railing. Just what had he been thinking?

"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain, as they say," he mused.

"I hate that saying. What the fuck other options are there? You can retire and die a hero, don't have to be young." Eggsy scoffed "If how things are now bothers you so much, why'd you come back?"

Harry considered his answer - thought on endless days in the hospital re-learning to move and control his powers, of fueling every hour of frustration with the desire to come back to the Ivory Tower, even knowing that he would be alone. "I can't see myself ever doing anything else." He said eventually.

And that, well, that was true, spiral of misery aside. Something uncoiled deep in his heart at the admission, a great weight lifted from his shoulders. He looked out over the city again in all its shining glory, and felt it looked somehow purer than when he'd first stepped onto the roof.

A soft clicking drew his attention back to Eggsy. "The Knights used to be my phone background, but I changed it after I met you. Couldn't believe you were such a prick."

"What-" Harry blinked, but stopped when he realized Eggsy had been turning the camera on his phone away as he spoke. Now he was focused on the bright little screen, his face lit a soft blue-white.

"Probably for the best. Ain't no such thing as the Knights anymore. This is better anyway." Eggsy smiled a bit bashfully as he turned the phone's screen so Harry could see. It was a picture of him, the wind whipping his suit jacket as he leaned on the rail, London twinkling in the background. "Pretty good shot of Nightshade, yeah?"

* * *

Harry was secretly broody and dramatic as fuck, Eggsy decided, and he made _so much more sense_ for it. Harry the romantic hero, the face the public saw, was alright - was just as idyllic and dreamy as prescribed, he supposed - but really, he was starting to like this one better. Harry eyed the picture and immediately went for his hair, so Eggsy tacked vain onto his growing list of actual-Harry traits.

Then with a thoughtful sigh, for the first time since they'd met, Harry slipped his fingers down and unclasped his mask. It came off into his broad hand easily enough, a dim shine on its surface the only thing separating it from looking like an open void in his palm.

His face beneath was largely unchanged. A few new lines had formed in the two years since his last press release, likely less from time and more from stress. But the most striking change was his left eye. Contrary to rumor, he hadn't lost it to the shot that had set blast-pattern white scars against his temple. It, like his new aesthetic, was a flat and bottomless black, from pupil to iris to what should have been the whites.

Harry gazed at the mask consideringly for a time, then looked up and gave him a small, self-deprecating smile. "Eggsy, I owe you an apology. There was a time when I was good at teamwork, but I'm afraid it's long past."

Eggsy grimaced a bit "Nah, I get it. I ain't exactly a peach. Merlin's probably right anyhow - it'd be better for everyone if I just gave up."

"Merlin was off his head. Eggsy, you have the potential to be one of the best heroes the world has ever seen. A few years of experience and you'll be as much a legend as any of us." Eggsy met his eyes and didn't know how to respond. Harry looked and sounded like he really meant it. Harry didn't dwell on the moment, however, like it was a statement of fact plain to see and didn't warrant extra attention. "Don't concern yourself with what might happen if this doesn't work out. In light of your father's contributions, and now yours, I'm sure Merlin would never let you go back to Ridgelock."

"What, even though I ' _lost several very generous sponsors their homes_ '?"

"To hell with them. They could stand a bit more inconvenience in their lives." Harry's tone was dry "Still, I can't help but feel I've done you a disservice in being so difficult. There must be something I can do to make it up to you."

"Would you kiss me?" Eggsy flashed a cheeky grin "Always wanted to kiss a Knight."

Eggsy was _joking_ , the kind of too-honest humor that at once revealed and disguised the truth. But Harry didn't laugh. Harry must have been fuckin' mental, actually, because he turned with a slightly mischievous little smile on his face and set his fingers on Eggsy's jaw. Eggsy's grip on the rail turned to iron. People didn't just come at the most notorious of gentleman with _a line_ and expect results. For half a second he thought it was some ridiculous game of chicken, except that Harry'd miscalculated because Eggsy, one, was frozen to the spot, and two, he would never, ever move even if he could.

But then Harry's lips were warm and soft against his own, a gentle press that set Eggsy's heart beating like a trapped butterfly against his ribs. His skin flushed hot from the roots of his hair on down - Harry may as well have electrocuted him, the way his nerves lit up at the touch.

It was the most innocent kiss Eggsy could remember having in years, and it was by far the best. It was only because he was still rooted to the spot that he managed not to chase after Harry when he pulled away, his eyes gleaming with good humor and the fire that was glowing now in Eggsy's chest. "I imagine I wasn't the one you hoped to kiss."

 _You'd be fuckin' wrong_ , Eggsy thought fiercely. Harry pushed himself off the railing at last, the mask still dangling from his fingertips. "The training room is normally closed at night, but since Merlin isn't here to scold anyone you ought to be able to use it," he said, starting off back the way he came "I'm going to try to sleep. Meet me out front tomorrow morning, Merlin's asked us to pick him up."

Eggsy watched him go, willing his heart back to a normal pace. Once Harry was out of sight, Eggsy let out the breath he'd been holding and collapsed against the railing.

Right, then.

He was fucked.


	6. Chapter 6

"We're in the paper," Harry told him the next morning as he stepped away from a newsstand. Harry showed him the copy of The Sun he'd picked up, and Eggsy gave him a look that tried to convey how cliché it was for Harry to still read printed news before he looked at the headline.

The words _'THE GENTLEMAN AND THE CHAV!_ ' slashed through the sky above a picture of the two of them. It must have been taken by some brave soul just after yesterday's fight - Eggsy was in the middle of yelling, J.B. tucked under one arm, and Harry was so tense he seemed carved from marble.

"Not my best picture," Eggsy said.

"Nor mine," Harry agreed, and stashed the paper away in his coat pocket. He started off again down the street and Eggsy tucked in close beside him while they went, hiding from the light drizzle with Harry under his umbrella. Eggsy hadn't brought one of his own, so it made sense, he reasoned, and had nothing to do with any secret desire to get closer to Harry. He wasn't basking in the heat of Harry's skin, because he couldn't, because Harry was wrapped in an epic black peacoat and any warmth Eggsy might feel coming from him was imaginary. Which was odd, since Eggsy swore he felt warmer for the proximity.

But whatever his motive, there was a certain welcoming glow to the way Harry held himself, with a space left for Eggsy to fit into comfortably, and that made him decide Harry didn't mind sharing.

"So why'd you buy it?" Eggsy asked, nodding to the pocket containing The Sun.

"I keep the headlines from the days after all my missions."

Eggsy had a vision of Harry's house, nothing but black furniture and thin pathways cut through stacks and stacks and _stacks_ of old, yellowing newspapers. "You got a storehouse for 'em?"

"There aren't so many, really," Harry hedged. Eggsy squinted at him. Harry's cheeks were just this side of too-pink, his eyes a little bright. If he didn't know better, he'd say Harry was _flattered_. "I only keep the front page."

"So a room then."

"My office walls are getting a bit full, I'll grant you." Harry allowed, and Eggsy laughed and nudged him with his elbow.

A few blocks later Harry drew to a stop beneath a cement awning. Eggsy looked up at the building while Harry shook out and collapsed the umbrella. The building stretched high above their heads, the front solid glass that dimly reflected the gray gloom over London.

"What's this then?" he asked.

When Harry didn't answer he turned back, curious, and found him watching the street intently. He'd forgone the mask this morning and opted for the fabled glasses, one lens blacked out to hide his eye, so Eggsy got a full view of Harry's focused and searching expression.

"Harry?"

Harry turned and ushered him on as though nothing had happened. Eggsy cast a surreptitious glance at the road and thought he saw an odd gleam in the shadows behind them. "This is Alistair's hospital - that is, the London Morton Trust. There's a special room here for Merlin when he overexerts himself."

"Ain't he special," Eggsy observed brightly.

"It wouldn't do to lose our wizard," Harry replied. Once they were inside he leaned close, feigning a guiding hand on Eggsy's shoulder, "We were followed."

Eggsy nodded "There someone we should tell?"

"Only someone very brave, very desperate, or very foolish would attack here," Harry's tone told Eggsy all he needed to know on the hospital's defenses. "But if they do, we'll be more than prepared. I've let someone from Merlin's department know already."

Harry led them to the lifts, then on to a wide, open office with light gray carpeting and one solid wall of glass. It looked less like a hospital and more like a lawyer's office, not counting the color scheme. Three gray barrel chairs, darker than the carpeting, sat before a gray desk with another chair behind it. Here and there set tastefully along the walls were modern, skeletal shelving arrangements, and behind the desk a white bookcase held dozens of thick medical texts.

"Alistair's office," Harry explained "he'll bring Merlin shortly."

"All this is really Percival's?" Eggsy asked, perusing the shelving. It held a lot of gleaming upper-class garbage he was sure held some prestigious significance, but was really boring, so he didn't linger long. Still, that Percival ran an entire hospital was pretty impressive.

"Alistair's family opened this place in the early eighteen hundreds. He was rebelling when he joined myself and the others in our heroism, as he was always meant to inherit the position of Director." Harry smiled at the reminiscence while Eggsy moved on to the desk, "He and James couldn't have been more ill-matched if they'd tried. A doctor and a man who could kill people with a single touch."

"They look happy though," Eggsy observed, lifting a framed picture from the desk. Percival and Lancelot were frozen behind the spotless glass. They were young, their hair at best unfortunate, and Lancelot was red-faced from laughing so hard, doing his level best to plant a kiss on Percival's cheek while Percival tried to look unaffected, though he was so obviously smiling Eggsy wasn't sure why he bothered.

"Oh, yes, they were," Harry's voice was low and wistful, and Eggsy was about to ask about it since, publicly, both Percival and Lancelot were supposed to be _retired_ , but then the door opened and he was more focused on putting the picture back exactly as he found it.

Percival held the door for Merlin, who breezed through holding a tablet and looking like an entirely different person, then followed him in. What little of Eggsy's Marine training that stuck almost forced him to attention.

Percival looked exactly as Eggsy expected a superhero-come-director would: suited, powerful, stoic, his hair dark and held stiffly in place and his black shoes gleaming. He was the sort to have his own dramatic theme music that played when he entered a room. In short, Eggsy was impressed.

"Harry, glad you could make it," Percival greeted. Merlin nodded at them, his gaze lingering on the glasses that replaced Harry's mask.

"You're later than I am, Alistair," Harry replied.

"We're on time, actually," Merlin chimed, walking over to perch in one of the barrel chairs as he did "I set your watch ahead before going dark."

Harry muttered something unsavory at him and started fiddling with said watch. Percival's eyebrows twitched, but otherwise his face remained impassive. He turned to Eggsy after a moment and held out his hand.

"Alistair Morton. You must be Harry's new partner."

Eggsy took the offered hand and shook "Eggsy Unwin, sir."

"A pleasure," Percival let go "Unwin?"

"Lee was my dad."

Eggsy hadn't realized Percival was aloof until he warmed. He hoped he'd get used to people reacting to his last name favorably at some point. For now, he reminded himself he was almost twenty-five and over idolizing the Knights. "Then the Ivory Tower is very fortunate to have you. Would you mind if I asked what your power is?"

"Nuclear fusion."

"Ah, another sun ability. Fitting."

Merlin scoffed, apparently listening though he seemed utterly absorbed in his tablet, "Our dear Percival subscribes to the notion that powers have some astrological alignment."

"You diagnosed my abilities as, and I quote, _'the power of the moon_ ,'" Percival quipped, then to Eggsy "I hope Harry hasn't given you too much trouble."

"Harry?" Eggsy gave him a considering look over his shoulder, by which Harry seemed almost struck "He's alright."

Percival and Merlin shared a glance, during which they seemed to have an entire conversation using only their eyebrows. At the end of it Percival looked at Eggsy, unfazed but for an odd gleam in his gaze, while Merlin looked at the ceiling.

"Alright." Merlin repeated for effect, evidently finished with his bid for divine strength. "I'd hate to see how you'd get along with someone you deemed an arse."

"Oh," Eggsy scuffed his feet on the carpet "Sorry about that building, Merlin."

"As for what you said, we understand you were overtaxed and overworked," Harry added. He'd have seemed understanding and concerned, if not for the smirk playing on his lips.

"Yeah, no hard feelings," Eggsy agreed, biting his cheek to keep from grinning.

Percival patted him on the shoulder and strode over to Harry then, who looked up just in time to scowl when Percival went for his glasses. "I'm not here for a check-up."

"Maybe if you ever _were_ you wouldn't need one now."

"If I went, I would go to a licensed medical professional," Harry drawled "you never even finished university."

Percival pointed to a framed diploma among the decorations on the shelves "Valedictorian."

"I'm not convinced it isn't honorary," Harry muttered. It had the flavor of an old argument, and Harry grudgingly allowed Percival to inspect his eye anyway. Eggsy hesitated a moment before sitting to wait.

"Alistair is a bit of a rebel." Merlin informed him "He dropped out in the middle of his final rotation, abandoning a very promising medical career."

"To be a hero?"

"Or as my parents called it, to join my friend's band. They were incensed, at least until we started to make the news." Percival, appeased, came over to his desk and opened the crystal decanter that sat near the edge.

"And even after." Harry added, coming to sit as well.

"And that didn't bother you none?"

Percival handed them each a glass and sat down, a nostalgic smile playing on his lips. "There are enough doctors in London. Percival was something only I could become."

For the past week Eggsy'd been meeting celebrities in person, but none of them had really given him that impression. Percival sipped his Scotch, the smallest of the bunch of them, and looked absolutely larger-than-life.

"Prognosis, doctor?" Harry asked, breaking Eggsy out of what he sincerely hoped hadn't been an admiring gaze.

"For you?" Percival swirled his drink "You can keep the eye, but I can't do anything about the rest of your face without extensive surgery. More scotch?"

"After that diagnosis, I suppose I need it," Harry replied. Percival refilled Harry's glass and Eggsy wondered when he'd drained it "Merlin will be fine in a few days, so long as he doesn't over do it again."

There was a hint of accusation in his tone, or maybe just warning, and Harry nodded. "We'll keep an eye on him."

"I hope you realize I'm fully capable of keeping an eye on myself." Merlin sat back from the tablet, treating them all to a mild glare.

"Yes, but then who will keep an eye on everything else? I've only just been allowed to keep mine, let me put it to good use."

Eggsy had met Merlin once in the chilly holding room at Holborn station and again a few times in the week since. He struck Eggsy as less human and more machine, solid and in total control of every detail of his surroundings. He certainly didn't seem the type to smile, but that was what he was doing, so apparently Eggsy was wrong.

"I saw yesterday's excursion in the paper-" Percival began, but was interrupted by a soft chime. "I'm sorry, one moment." Harry and Merlin waved him to it and he hit something Eggsy didn't see on the desk to answer.

"I'm in a meeting."

The voice on the other end sounded apologetic, and perplexed, when it spoke, but given the news it brought that seemed reasonable "I'm sorry sir, it's just that the hospital is under attack."

Percival blinked, then looked across his desk at them as if to ask ' _did I hear that correctly?'_ "I hope you understand that I have great faith in your abilities before I ask this, but, are you certain?"

"I do, sir, and I'm certain."

"What," his eyebrows edged closer together, "What kind of attack?"

"A man led about two dozen people into the main lobby and has them overturning the furniture. He's demanding to see Galahad."

Both Merlin and Percival turned accusing eyes on Harry, who thoughtfully sipped his scotch at them. "Interesting. I suppose I should tell you we were followed here."

"And when were you planning to mention this?" Merlin asked, already typing rapidly on his tablet.

"Well, I didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to attack us at the hospital." Harry replied and set his glass on the desk "I suppose we should go meet them."

Merlin nodded, standing "Where's the security room?"

"One floor down, room seven twenty."

"You'd better escort him, Alistair." Harry said, standing as well "Eggsy and I can handle things in the lobby."

Merlin frowned but didn't argue, and with an edge like disappointment Alistair sighed, "I'll leave this in your capable hands."

Eggsy stood and moved to the door with Percival, so he missed it when Merlin jabbed Harry with his tablet and said lowly "He was starstruck when he met you, too, you just ruined it too quickly to notice."

For a ride into battle, the slow descent of the lift wasn't particularly energizing, though the ambient piano rendition of Hot For Teacher was more inspiring than he expected. Harry was relaxed, propped on his umbrella in the closest thing to a slouch he ever managed.

"Merlin's actin' weird," Eggsy observed as the numbers ticked down "Is there a surgery to implant a sense of humor?"

"That's how he actually is, without the whole of the world's connective technology in his brain. Percival has him on drugs to suppress his power."

"Wait seriously? You can do that?"

"The medicine is highly controlled, but yes. Alistair made it for James, and we worried that if it became widely accessible it would be misused."

"Shit, what I wouldn't give," Eggsy muttered.

"As tempting as it may be, and needed at times, it's better for everyone that those with powers learn to control them."

"I guess," he shrugged. Slow lift, but they were close. "So that's why Percival went with Merlin? He can't do nothin' to protect himself."

"That's one of the reasons. Merlin is hardly helpless in a fight, but he's our tech wizard first, and thus we're here to escort him back to the tower. I was surprised you didn't ask about it last night."

 _I was a little distracted_ , Eggsy thought as the doors opened and the chaos of the lobby was revealed. A chair sailed across Eggsy's vision and crashed into a wall that had – something spinney, a black spiral that made him want to join the lobby riot when he looked at it.

"Shit," Harry cursed and clapped a hand over Eggsy's eyes. It had the effect of thumping him against Harry's chest, which was as distracting as it was unexpected.

"D'you want me to guess who?" He tried for light. Harry's huffed laugh ruffled the hair on the back of Eggsy's neck. Eggsy bit his lip as the feeling echoed along his nerves and barely suppressed a shiver.

"Keep your eyes closed," Eggsy wasn't sure if he _meant_ to sound like liquid sex, speaking low into Eggsy's ear, but he certainly fucking did. He tried to focus on the small army ahead of them but, well, he couldn't see.

Harry reached into his jacket with his free hand and withdrew something. A few seconds later the din of destruction was cut off again when the lift doors timed out and shut. Harry took his hand away and Eggsy tried not to be disappointed.

"Put these on." A pair of glasses, identical to Harry's own but with darkened lenses, were deposited in his hand "Our opponent hypnotizes people with his abilities. We'll have to incapacitate the people in the lobby to stop them."

"Oh, I get it. So these are like, special power-negating specs?" Eggsy put them on and did his best impression of a thoughtful nerd, squinting his eyes and scratching his chin. Harry shook his head.

"No, just polarized," he pressed the button to open the lift doors, both lenses of his own glasses now darkened.

"That's pretty lame."

The doors opened, but this time the glasses blocked out the cartoonish black-and-white spirals reflecting off every surface, and Harry walked out into the bedlam.

Eggsy was going to have to ask Merlin what Harry looked like when he was showing off, but if this wasn't it he probably wouldn't survive the real thing. Harry glided through the mayhem like he was on a Sunday stroll, except it was a special kind of de-stress stroll where he smashed heads and tripped people into floors and flung bodies like rag dolls. Harry had meant it when he said they made sure their heroes were prepared. He could have lost his powers to Valentine and still deserved his place on the Ivory Tower's roster.

Eggsy waded in after him, finishing off anyone he'd missed. Harry noticed and took a moment to observe his form, frowning.

"Who taught you how to throw a punch?" he asked as he dodged a lunging nurse and used her momentum to swing her forehead-first into a wall.

Harry sounded mildly appalled, and Eggsy couldn't keep a satirical note from his reply "my stepdad."

"Well I'm sorry to say he's done a terrible job of it," Harry said, as if his opinion wasn't already obvious. "Keep your elbows closer to your body, for a start. We'll have to work on your education more when we get back."

He couldn't see anything wrong with that. Eggsy looked around, frowning as some of the people they'd knocked out woke up and came right back at them. "We just need to keep 'em from seein' the spirals, yeah?"

"Just," Harry agreed.

"Harry, close your eyes." Eggsy jumped up onto one of the few righted bits of furniture, brought his hands up in a vague circle in front of him "Hey arseholes, look at this!"

He'd never actually done this before, so he sent up a vague prayer that they wouldn't all die and lit the place up. He forgot to close his own eyes, like an idiot, for half a second and saw spots for three hours after, and he was pretty sure he overshot the power needed and warmed the room about twenty degrees, but it had the desired effect. Light flooded the lobby, bright and blinding, making sure everyone present either closed their eyes or wouldn't make out the hypnosis until they got their man anyhow.

Eggsy hopped down, glowing a bit, and grinned at the people crumpled and covering their faces.

"Well done," Harry sounded genuinely impressed.

"Figured stars are bright up close."

"You!" shouted a voice from above. They both looked up to see a stubby little blonde man on the third-floor catwalk pointing a trembling finger at them. "Galahad! You can't hide from me, you-you!"

"Don't think he likes you mate," Eggsy observed.

"Indeed."

A flash from nearby that drew his attention next. Eggsy felt his eyes go a little wide and shiny. Percival stood by another lift, a bow of white, living light in his hands notched with an arrow like a sharpened moonbeam.

"The moon is out." He said, and loosed the arrow. It struck its target and diffused in a burst of light, and the man shrieked as he fell over the glass railing onto an overturned couch below.

"That doesn't even make any sense." Harry complained a moment later "It doesn't matter if the moon is out, your powers work regardless. Shouldn't you be guarding Merlin?"

"I've told you this a thousand times. I'm the moon." Percival banished his bow and strode over to the couch.

Eggsy followed, curious "Who the fuck is this?"

"The former Prime Minister of Sweden." Harry replied "We've a bit of a history."

"Are you takin' the piss?" Eggsy jabbed his thumb at the man drooling on the upholstery "This guy?"

"Surprisingly, not all leaders are created equal." Eggsy almost jumped out of his skin when Merlin's voice chimed in his ear. "Eggsy, I don't know if the glasses match the rest of your getup, but for now they'll have to do. Harry's friend planted a bomb on the second floor."

"Sounds like a job for Harry." Eggsy said.

"My thoughts exactly. There's another group heading up the East stairwell. Do you think you can handle them, Eggsy?"

"Yeah, I'm on it." He waved at Harry "I'll listen to make sure nothin' blows up."

"And I'll listen to be sure something does," Harry replied.


	7. Chapter 7

Eggsy headed for the stairwell as Harry and Percival vanished into the lifts. While the entire building up to then had been state of the art, apparently stairwells had peaked at white stucco walls and twisting black banisters. The prime minister - and wasn't that a trip - wasn't acting alone, not that Eggsy could imagine him doing much of anything on his own. Winding up the stairs between the fourth and fifth floors were a handful of formless people in thick black, stomping like a herd of wildebeests as they climbed. Eggsy heaved himself over the first rail and leapt for the next, gave himself a little boost with a tiny explosion under his feet, wondering idly if Harry was listening.

The burst rocketed him level with the goons at the expense of a strain in his ankles. He was going to have to chat with Adidas or Merlin about giving him some kind of brace. He swung over the rail and delivered his fist into the back of the first goon's head. His knuckles burned and stung from the contact, already bruised from the lobby fight, but the man crumpled to the steps.

Someone shouted in another language and the handful of men on the stairs refocused their efforts on him. One kept on, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. Namely the four much larger men bearing down on him.

"Listen," Eggsy tried, "I'll give you a chance to escape, if you want."

A meaty fist swung at his head in answer.

"Worth a shot," he muttered, ducking the blow. Unlike Harry, he'd only had back alley brawls and bar fights to learn from. He was at least thankful that the stairwell was thin and they couldn't all hit him at once. One snagged him by the front of his hoodie when he came back up and slammed him into the wall so hard it knocked the breath from his chest. He had just enough time to turn his head and dodge the next punch so it landed with a crack on the stuco. Eggsy grabbed the man's thick wrists and swung his feet up, drove them into his chest to launch him away, and, incidentally, over the railing. Eggsy was dragged towards the edge until the man tripped, then only got to revel in the ugly thumping sounds he made on the way down for the split second it took another of the men to bury his fist in Eggsy's cheek.

Eggsy stumbled down the steps to the next landing, eyes watering and blood filling his mouth where his teeth cut into his lip. Shit, he _hated_ face shots. He spun around just in time to duck a lunge from the man who'd hit him, then retaliated by nailing him in the chest with his best jab.

The man growled at him and kept advancing.

"Shit," Eggsy muttered, darting down another few steps when the other two spilled onto the landing. The growly one followed, apparently angry about the punch. Eggsy did the only thing he could think of and swung again.

In a fit of desperate inspiration, Eggsy set off another explosion - this time behind his elbow. The heat seared his arm and the impact of his fist on the man's face ached like he'd punched a brick wall at full speed, but the man flew back and cracked his head on a step. So, score.

"Nice job, Eggsy." Merlin chimed.

"Where the fuck 'ave you been?!" Eggsy asked, getting both hands on the railing and spinning himself over it, giving his momentum an extra kick with another burst behind his feet before they powered into the third man's ribs. He felt something give way under the force.

"You seemed to be doing fine. I wanted to let you know that the last of your group has almost reached the top floor."

"Yeah thanks, I'll be right on it," Eggsy drawled. The last man went down from a blow to the head and then Eggsy was blasting up through the open space at the center of the stairwell. He got to the top as the ninth-floor access door banged shut.

"I'm goin' in," He shoved the door open.

And had to throw himself against the wall to avoid losing his head. The final member of the masked gang was the one he'd seen following them - both legs were gleaming, razor-edged metal, and both were now aimed at his neck.

"What the fuck!" Eggsy darted away and watched the wall be rent clean through where he'd been standing. The next slash got him in the back, bright, sharp, wet pain blooming along his skin.

"Eggsy, watch yourself!"

"I'm tryin' gov!" Eggsy stumbled further down the hall and whirled to face the person he had to assume was the leader. Just in time to duck when flashing, blade-sharp legs flew at his head.

Eggsy hit the floor as fast as he knew how and darted back to flatten himself against the wall at the end of the hallway. The formless man, draped in thick clothing everywhere but his legs, landed and spun, gouging the floor at the other end of the hallway.

Eggsy knew damn well when he was outclassed, and there was no way he was keeping his limbs on this one. But the man didn't come at him again. Rather he paused, and brown eyes, visible through a slash in the tight wrap around his face, squinted in regard of him.

Then the chain around Eggsy's neck tightened.

"Fu-" Eggsy's hands flew to his throat too late, clawed at the necklace that held his father's medal as it dug into his neck and dragged him up the wall onto his toes. The man stood watching, almost curious.

Merlin was in his ear, but he sounded like he was far away or underwater. Eggsy's eyes felt too big for their sockets, the corners of his lips wet as saliva backed up in his mouth while he tried to gasp in air.

As his vision began to flicker with lights, Eggsy caught a glimpse of the wall behind the man. There was a wide window in it, probably part of the front of the building, and nothing outside it - just cloudy sky and open air. He brought his hand up and hoped for the best.

The blast ripped from his chest, along the bones of his arm and tore out of his hand with the burning heat of a sun, flew down the corridor with the force of a bomb and straight on through the wall.

The chain at his neck released, and he fell to the floor in a coughing heap.

"Eggsy! Eggsy, are you alright, lad?" Merlin yelled.

"Ye-" Eggsy coughed again, glanced around to make sure the last of the intruders was indeed gone. "Yeah, 'm alright. That wasn't enough to obliterate a body, though," he tacked the last on because the hallway was now open air, but also quite empty.

"I'm not going to ask how you know that."

The hallway had seen better days and the glass was gone, but Eggsy figured Percival wouldn't mind the remodel. People had begun peeking out from their rooms through bent and twisted doors, blinking at the charred walls and Eggsy himself.

"Harry's taken care of the bomb. He's on his way up."

"Great. Have Percival send somebody to check on the patients here, yeah?"

Eggsy heaved himself up, dusted himself off, winced when the action pulled at his back and caught at the broken skin on his knuckles, and addressed the braver patients.

"Is everyone alright?" he called. He received faint, questioning nods and mumbled affirmations. "Nothin' to worry about, just some idiots who thought it was a good idea to mess with a hero. Head back to bed, we'll get this cleaned up in a jiff."

Eggsy helped the reluctant ones back and checked on any who hadn't gotten up to make sure no flying doorknobs or anything had brained some poor sap. He came upon a girl who looked vaguely familiar, hovering by a ruined door and chewing her lip.

"You were there yesterday..." she said.

Now he recognized her - the flooder from Poplar.

"Oh, yeah. You feelin' better then?"

She nodded, bit her lip again. "I'm sorry about the... the flooding. And the ice," she winced "I only got my powers last week, and, well, my boyfriend said he didn't want to date a freak."

"Ah," he patted her shoulder "Don't tear yourself up over it too much, love. I almost burnt my whole neighborhood down when my powers came in," Eggsy grinned "just a shitty guy with shitty timin'."

Her eyes flickered up at last, her lips quirking as they did. She nodded.

"Head back in while we take care of the mess, yeah? I'll talk to Merlin. Can't imagine he'd let powers like yours go to waste. If you want."

"Thank you for volunteering me," Merlin drawled in his ear, but he didn't sound very upset so it was probably a done deal, if the girl agreed.

Again, she bit her lip, surveying the damage to the hall, then nodded. "If...if I could help."

"Course you could," Eggsy guided her back inside, "Just you wait."

He got all the way down to the last door before anyone arrived, finding none the worse for the explosion, much to his relief. He pushed open the last door, apology ready on his lips - and stopped.

The room was lovely, on the empty side but it looked open and clean rather than barren, the cream walls and sunshine, beaming in as if deigning to peak through the clouds for the sole purpose of brightening the room, making it feel warm and homey. It made Eggsy think of his house before his dad died, but not the reality of it - just the glossy, hazy, idyllic atmosphere imparted to it by memory.

Set upon the bed, so carefully he looked like he might be asleep, was Lancelot. Machines, silent and unobtrusive, framed the head of the bed and were the only indication that he was, in fact, in a hospital. Eggsy crept forward without meaning to or thinking about it, drawn like a child to something fae-ish.

Lancelot, cock-sure and quick, the flirt of the Knights, lay silent, as if in sleep. But it had been two years since Valentine. Lancelot wasn't asleep.

Harry found him there. It was as if sound was forbidden in the room, when he didn't speak at first. Eggsy didn't notice him immediately, and when he did reality made a valiant attempt to invade the room uninvited. Harry stepped through, his eyes on Lancelot.

"Valentine's power was to copy the abilities of others," He said. His voice didn't echo or break the odd sense of suspension and warmth in the room, like he was allowed, or a part of it. "James' task was to take out his strongest henchmen. We had no way of knowing how attached Valentine was to her. Or that he could even absorb James' ability and survive." He stood beside Eggsy a while, an old sorrow in his eyes. "Or that James would be susceptible to it after."

"How is he-?" Eggsy wasn't sure what word he even wanted. Alive, asleep, dead, dreaming.

"Percival." Harry nodded to the machines, "These keep him breathing, but technology has yet to master true death. Percival has a basic power over electricity, and he's managed to maintain brain activity with it."

"That can't be easy."

"No, nor is it cheap. It's taxing, so much that it forced him to retire. But if he stops even for a handful of minutes, James will be beyond saving."

"But why?" Why spend so much, just to keep him in suspension forever?

"Because there's hope," Eggsy jumped and another being was admitted into the odd, other-worldly space. Percival entered as though the room was his, a king of an enchanted realm - or its keeper. He moved smoothly and swiftly around to the other side of the bed, so the sun shined on his back and lined his hair and shoulders with that hazy halo of memory. "If another Imperium like your father is ever found, they might be able to save him." He took James' hand, had never once looked at them since entering, "And until then I won't give up on him."

And what did you say to that, Eggsy figured, and stayed quiet as he sat in one of the chairs in the room. Percival at last spared him a glance, but it was only a flicker, surprise melting into a secret fondness. Slowly Harry joined him, and Merlin, who had been hovering just in the hallway, took a cautious step inside.

* * *

"I'll start scanning for the renegades," Merlin said after a quiet, peaceful, endless age spent in the room, and another less pleasant one getting patched up. The outside world was almost cold and rough after being in with James, but the others, while thoughtful, had left what feelings they had on the matter safely at his bedside. "Eggsy, you seemed to think the Imperium in your group escaped."

"Yeah, you can't miss 'im, he had knives for feet. Telekinesis I think."

Merlin, who had been typing away at blurring speeds on his tablet, looked up, eyes intent, at Percival. Percival turned to cold steel at the look. "Alistair-"

"No. Two days, Merlin."

"But if you'd give me the counter-agent."

"Well I won't, so there's no point in considering the outcome." Percival delicately pushed up his glasses with his ring finger. Merlin Narrowed his eyes. Never had Eggsy seen such a battle of wills.

"But if you would," Merlin tried again.

"The man would be found, the queen would be saved, and England's streets would be cleansed of crime by morning. No," he turned back to his papers "that can all wait forty-eight hours. If we can't survive without you that long then we'll all die once you retire anyway."

It was a clear dismissal, and though Merlin's forehead creased in irritation he only sighed and mumbled an assent.

"Shit, now that's a superpower," Eggsy laughed "bossin' Merlin around."

"Would that we all were so blessed," Harry said morosely.

"I'm not being bossed," Merlin snapped, while Harry started laughing at him and Percival acted as though none of them had said anything worth giving attention.

Just before they left Eggsy turned to Percival, and immediately felt wrong-footed before he even spoke. "Hey, um," he struggled to find something that didn't sound trite "I...I hope you find one soon. A healer."

Percival gave him a small smile, which Eggsy figured was a rare gift, and nodded his thanks - or simple agreement. "He'd have liked you, I think."

And that was a gift indeed.


	8. Chapter 8

Harry stopped in a patch of sunlight that filtered in from high windows, letting it warm him as he surveyed the wide room. He'd fallen into something of a routine over the two weeks since the flood: wake up, meander through his morning ritual, head to the tower, locate Eggsy, and, in the absence of a mission, spend the day teaching him whatever they happened to think up.

The training room was a huge thing, taking up nearly all of the three highest floors of the Ivory Tower. It had thick, reinforced walls up to the very highest points, a precaution owed to the destructive nature of the heroes' abilities. Harry had overseen its design, argued over the merits of putting the room so high and the danger to the building's frame if it was set too low. That was ages ago, though, back when Merlin's five-kilogram grappling hooks were the height of hero technology.

Now half of the space was taken up by a state-of-the-art, holograph-driven obstacle course, the other half lined with training equipment, shooting ranges, gadgets, and whatever else Merlin decided they could use. Merlin himself, in his masochism, had placed his office on the third of the three stories and walled the training room off from himself with only a few sheets of bulletproof glass, though a glance up to it only ever revealed endless monitors and scrolling data.

He spotted Eggsy off in a corner beneath it, gesturing animatedly with a much newer, lighter grappling hook as he talked to Roxy. The two of them had hit it off almost immediately once they had a chance to meet on solid ground. Eggsy and Charlie's relationship, by contrast, had only grown worse. Harry strode past Charlie without a greeting on his way over, giving the illusion that behind the punching bag was an effective place to lurk. At the very least, if Charlie ever went bad they wouldn't have much trouble stopping him.

"Good morning, Eggsy, Roxy," he greeted once he was close.

"There you are, Harry." Eggsy said, flashing him a green-eyed grin while Roxy nodded politely. "I've been waitin' for you. Got an idea but I wasn't gonna try it 'till you was here."

"In case it backfires?"

"Nah, then we're fucked. In case it works."

"Well, I do enjoy suspense every so often."

Eggsy grinned up at him and he found himself smiling back, which wasn't all that uncommon an occurrence these days. He didn't realize that time had gotten away from them until Roxy coughed pointedly. Eggsy jolted and flushed a lovely shade of red, and Harry was tempted to keep looking, but they _were_ below Merlin's office.

"Right, I'll just give it a try, then." Eggsy mumbled. But before he could, Amelia's disembodied voice, filtering through the air by way of her power over sound, interrupted.

"Eggsy, there's someone here for you in reception."

"For me?" Eggsy parroted, confused.

"Maybe someone's finally wised up and come to take you back to Ridgelock," Charlie's voice was an unwelcome grate on Harry's nerves. He stepped out from his hiding place with a cocky smirk that Harry met with an unimpressed eyebrow, but Charlie only had eyes for Eggsy. Eggsy, who barely turned to look at him when he replied, not the least because he and Harry were so close they were almost touching, and that made it hard to turn all the way. Harry found himself wondering when they'd come to be so near.

"Nah, probably just your mum again."

Charlie's expression clouded. He puffed up and Roxy sighed before he even spoke. "Say that again," he challenged.

Harry had long been immune to Charlie's charms, natural and otherwise, but Charlie's self-satisfied sneer was a dead giveaway to when he had them active.

Eggsy paused, frowning at him, and Harry was about to intervene when he replied. "I would, but I ain't got time. She gets impatient." Eggsy winked, then looked back at Harry "It ain't workin' no more."

"His personality tends to cause that." Harry said, fighting a victorious smile he had no business with "Go on. A gentleman does not keep a visitor waiting."

"Yes, Harry," Eggsy said, finally stepping away and heading for the door in the nearby wall that led to the reception area.

Charlie sulked off, shoulders lowered and gait dragging. Roxy waited until Eggsy wasn't looking to raise a cultured eyebrow at Harry.

"Is there something I can help you with, Roxy?" he asked, feeling oddly exposed.

Roxy shook her head, swishing her hair behind her with the motion, "No, sir."

They looked at each other a moment.

"Eggsy babe!"

Harry looked towards the door Eggsy had disappeared through, blinking at the woman's voice that filtered out as it closed. Eggsy'd never mentioned a girlfriend.

"If you'll excuse me," Harry nodded to the door.

"Of course."

A small part of Harry was tempted to stay put and prove her tone of voice wrong, but his feet were already carrying him towards reception. Harry stepped in unnoticed, Eggsy quite thoroughly distracted by his visitor, and took in the scene. Amelia was at her desk pretending not to be interested in the little group. Clouds drifted behind Eggsy, their lead designer's propensity for glass once again making itself known in the room's walls. Sunlight gleamed about him, alighting on his hair and highlighting what blonde he'd inherited - presumably from the woman beside him.

Michelle Unwin was changed for the years since they'd last met, but only just and, if he had to guess, primarily by grief. Her hair was done up into a bun and she wore a slightly dated, but well-tailored pencil-skirt suit. She looked the part of a mid-level business woman, if you didn't count the slightly disheveled little girl resting on her hip. That explained Amelia's barely contained interest.

"-and the sitter's run out on me. If you could look after her for an hour-" Michelle was saying as Harry entered.

"Course I can!" Eggsy took the girl, who cooed a happy approximation of his name at the change.

"Thanks babe, I'm sorry to crash your day like this. I'll be back by noon, earlier if they don't like what they see."

"Don't be ridiculous mum, they're gonna love you!"

"Let's hope. I gotta dash, text me if anything goes wrong!"

"Nah, I'll bring her with. Have our little Daisy fightin' crime before she can talk proper."

"The city won't be in mortal danger on a Monday, even the bad guys have that much decency." Michelle, on her way, spotted Harry and faltered. He gave his best attempt at a smile, old guilt rearing its head. Something odd passed through her eyes, and then she was off.

Eggsy remained in the center of the room, a day bag at his feet, and held a nonsensical conversation with the child in his arms. The moment stretched. Tiny hands landed on his chin and Eggsy laughed gentlly, shifted, and caught sight of Harry. He glanced up with a faintly guilty air about him.

"What? Come on, you tellin' me your family's never crashed your work?"

"No, and I should think they wouldn't have if I had any," Invited, Harry came closer. He caught the girl's attention and smiled at her, then at Eggsy. He had the sudden feeling that he'd said something wrong, as Eggsy had a strange look in his eye. "Not that this is a problem. My relatives had a very hands-off way of interacting," he tried.

If anything, the look worsened. Eggsy bit his lip, and suddenly Harry found a little girl shoved gently into his chest. "Here," Eggsy muttered, then, belatedly, "I've got to work on my powers, haven't I?"

Harry very carefully arranged the girl on his hip, blinking down at her curious gaze. "Won't she mind?"

Eggsy failed to reply, drawing Harry's attention from his sister. Harry found himself and the girl the subjects of what he might have called a _besotted_ smile on anyone else. Eggsy's eyes were crinkled at the corners, a satisfied gleam hiding beneath the utter fondness.

It was suddenly very obvious, when a feeling to match that look rose in Harry's chest, what it was Roxy had been so right about.

"Hm? What?" Eggsy asked once he noticed he was being watched.

"Being held by someone she doesn't know." Harry's voice sounded warmer, different to his own ears, "Won't she mind?"

"Oh. Nah," Eggsy stooped to sling the bag over his shoulder "Mum had lots of people in the flat before, never bothered her none."

Eggsy headed off towards the door, and Harry was left to follow. The girl, Daisy if he'd heard right, finally stopped studying his face to admire the lofty and distracting training room. Something heavy hit the floor somewhere as heads turned to gape.

"How is your family doing now? I'm afraid I fell out of touch some time ago," Harry asked.

Eggsy slung the bag into the corner. "Weren't so good for a while. Dean - my stepdad, he was a right c-jerk. Lucky for us, Merlin looked away long enough when I was signin' that I got Adidas to agree to buy mum a house. After I told her that and the thing with the bank, it wasn't too hard to get her out. Helped that most of Dean's gang was locked up."

Merlin didn't look away even when he was actually, physically looking away, but Harry refrained from saying so. "For what it's worth, however it came about, I'm glad we have you now," he said instead, and he meant it.

"Thanks," Eggsy mumbled, flushing.

"Oh, this must be little Daisy!" Roxy appeared so suddenly beside them that he couldn't be sure she hadn't used her powers to coalesce there.

Eggsy grinned and launched off into an account of every noteworthy thing Daisy had done over the past few weeks, much to the joy of everyone within hearing distance. Daisy squirmed but seemed plenty happy to be fawned over.

This lasted as long as it took Charlie to once again appear. "Eggy's got a kid? What a surprise."

"It's his sister, Charlie." Roxy snapped "Why don't you find something to stick your head in for a while, you'll scare her."

"Me?" Charlie feigned offence "I'll have you know children love me. They have a sense for superiority."

As if on cue Daisy whirled on Charlie with big, shiny eyes and nearly leapt from Harry's arms in excitement. Eggsy blinked at her sudden outburst and went red.

"You're using your powers ain't you!?"

"What could she even see?" Harry murmured.

"Unicorn!" Daisy supplied.

They were all silent a moment.

Eggsy was the first to laugh, practically a _giggle_ , and then all of them save Charlie were laughing themselves into fits. Eggsy slapped him on the arm, wiping tears from his eyes "Looks like you are good for something."

Charlie actually flushed, and Harry's mirth vanished.

"Well, I-"

"Charlie, don't let us keep you from your practice," Harry said. Charlie hesitated, then muttered under his breath and sauntered off. With much more warmth he addressed Eggsy "I believe you've an idea you wanted to try out."

"Right," with a wink and one last wave to Daisy, Eggsy trekked off to do whatever it was he was planning to do, leaving the wolves free to descend. Eggsy seemed unaware of how every eye in the room had landed on Daisy when they entered, but Harry was far too trained not to notice when he was being watched.

Amelia was the first brave soul to wander over, and when Harry received her (and her lovely musical talents) with grace, he was inundated. People were coming out of the woodwork while Eggsy fiddled with bright, potentially explosive spheres. Some Harry was certain he'd never seen past the twenty-fifth floor. Heroes who only trained in their own personalized rooms emerged to stretch their legs. Support personnel with no business anywhere near the training room suddenly needed things signed immediately by one hero or another. It seemed that by the time Merlin deigned them with his physical presence that the top three floor's employees were milling about.

"God descends from the heavens," Harry said, smirking. He hadn't gone over, just waited for blonde hair and big blue eyes to lure Merlin in like everyone else.

"Even I need to get some air every now and again," Merlin replied primly "One of your conquests finally caught up with you?"

"They weren't _conquests_. I genuinely cared for all of them."

"Ah, of course." Harry frowned at the lofty, sarcastic response "I do hope you've learned to be more careful in whom you _genuinely care for_ in your old age."

Merlin couldn't have been more obvious in his meaning if he'd written ' _don't fuck this up_ ' in the air in vibrant green letters.

"Oh, piss off, Hamish."

"Language." Merlin nodded to Daisy, who was now miraculously entertained by a floating screen.

Harry covered her ears "Fine, piss off, Merlin." Daisy squirmed her head out of his grip and went back to the screen with only a momentary black look his way. "And you know who this is."

"Yes, because the force-wide email informed me."

"I thought there were a few extra people in the training room today," Harry mused.

One of Eggsy's light balls flickered brightly, drawing his attention. Charlie had come to try his luck again, bored already with whatever it was he did during the day.

"My god, what _is_ it about that boy." Merlin muttered. He headed off again towards Amelia, never one to waste a good moment's recreation by not adding a bit of work.

"Shit," he heard from Eggsy, then "Charlie, _move_!"

Harry was reminded of the bank robbery in that he had only an instant to throw up a void between himself and a powerful blast of light and searing heat. He blew it too big to keep Daisy sheltered, as high as he was tall and wider still, so all he felt was a rush of heated wind from around the edges.

Daisy reached curiously for the swirling black wall once the heat had dissipated. Harry caught her hand. "Don't touch, Miss Daisy," he murmured to her pout.

A sweep of his hand banished the protective cover, revealing a room in shambles. The reinforced walls were shattered, the majority of the equipment blackened or at worst, melted, and all the groups of people were behind one hero or another's special brand of barrier. Merlin was watching him, hands motionless in the air as he reached to help Harry banish the void. Harry waved him off. He missed it when Merlin ignored the move completely to keep staring.

Eggsy lowered his arms from where he'd raised them to protect his eyes. He was at the center of a starburst scorch mark, Charlie, miraculously, was meters away behind the green sweep of Merlin's light barrier, blinking at Eggsy from the floor.

"You-you..." he tried, but Eggsy didn't seem to see him. Harry strode out to Eggsy, concerned.

"Eggsy, are you alright?"

Eggsy jolted, whirling, and locked in on Daisy's fascinated little form. "Oh thank god," he darted forward and swept her from Harry's arms, hugging her tight to his chest.

"Eg-" before he'd finished the name, Harry found one trembling arm flung around his neck as Eggsy gave him the same treatment as his sister, holding tight, his face tucked into Harry's shoulder.

" _Thank you_."

Slowly, Harry raised his hands to rest on Eggsy's back. "Of course." He managed, quietly. Of course he'd protected Daisy, it was what he did for a living, after all. But, well. He held a little tighter himself. It'd been a long time since Harry felt like a hero.

Merlin cleared his throat, _loud_ , and Eggsy drew away, the moment broken. He surveyed the room, taking in the damage and growing pale as he did.

"I am so, so sorry," he began.

"Nonsense. What good is a training room if you're not allowed to break anything?" Harry interrupted. "And this couldn't have happened at a better time - we have so many extra people present today."

"Merlin," Roxy called, her voice strained, and Harry caught sight of her, dense he assumed, holding up one of the support beams. Merlin flicked his wrist and a barrier appeared to take the weight until repairs could be made. Already the air around him was growing vortex-ish with screens.

"We have things covered here." Merlin informed them pointedly.


	9. Chapter 9

"I still feel like we should have been helpin' clean up." Eggsy said an hour later as they waved to Michelle's retreating form, Daisy on her hip.

"Eggsy." Harry smiled, "You must have noticed that no one was getting any work done as long as Daisy was in the tower."

Eggsy, at last, grinned. "That's because my girl is a charmer."

"Runs in the family," Harry said, taking a sip of the hot chocolate Eggsy had talked him into buying. Daisy had been plenty happy to wander about around the tower after they were banished. Now they were left on the wintery noontime streets, catching the occasional eye but, as they were somewhat fixtures of the city, unbothered.

Eggsy was looking at him, and Harry, as was becoming his habit, found himself helpless to do anything but look back and revel in the moment.

"Harry," Eggsy said, nervously amused resolve falling over his form "do you wanna get dinner with me?"

Harry's breath shivered out. "That depends on what you mean."

Eggsy sighed. He took his hat off, rubbed his forehead, reseated it and thought better of it, taking it off again. At last he settled his hands on the hinges of Harry's jaw.

"Harry, do you want to go out with me?"

Cold metal, a bike rack, found its way under his hand. He still listed forward into Eggsy's space, drawn like a flower to the sun. Eggsy's expression was all earnesty and hope. This was a very bold thing of him to do, two weeks into their acquaintance. But Harry's answer, when he would give it, was inevitable, so perhaps not bold, but perceptive. "Are you sure?"

"You gonna make me ask you a third time?"

"No, no, I-" Harry laughed, feeling light as air "Yes, I'd like that."

Eggsy was grinning, now, as he started again. "Harry, you mad, gorgeous freak, would you-"

"No, I meant I'd like to go to dinner," he set their foreheads together, hardly needing to move at all to do so. Merlin didn't need to tell him not to screw this up - he was telling himself that now, and he suspected he'd be telling himself that every day for as long as he managed not to screw it up. "you willfully misunderstand me."

"Should I call you Mister Darcy, then?" Eggsy winked.

"You are full of surprises."

"Gotta keep you on your toes. Come on, let's see how they're doin' on the tower for a bit before we go."

* * *

But they didn't make it to dinner that night.

The tower had been miraculously repaired in the hour they were gone - or not so miraculously, Merlin often earned his wizardly name. The repaired holograms were his work, and he had others on call for the walls. In the end, they lost a few dozen smaller bits of tech, easily replaced, and one set of boxing equipment that had been too close to ground zero.

"People were making bomb shelters in the _forties_ ," Merlin said, somehow offended that Eggsy was impressed. "Did you really think you could take down the Ivory Tower by _accident_?"

They spent the rest of the day close, while Roxy occasionally paused to raise her eyebrows at them and Charlie sulked so loud his displeasure could be heard on the mainland. Harry hardly noticed.

They left the tower when the sun was reddening against the horizon, ambling off before either realized they hadn't picked a destination. And then the destination was picked for them.

"My purse!" shouted a woman in a long dress at Eggsy's elbow as they meandered in the direction of a few restaurants they were discussing. A man darted off down an alleyway with the bag, and Harry shared a knowing look with Eggsy.

"It'd be alright to-"

"We can at least handle guns by ourselves," Harry said at the same time, and they grinned and were off.

The man, whoever he was, was quick as lightning. They chased him out into a run-down shipping wharf, wove between stacked metal containers and, for reasons they weren't sure of, lost him in a gaping aluminum warehouse.

"Didn't that woman's voice sound a little...?"

"She was French," Harry replied, circling around to look behind a few crates.

"No, I knew that. I meant it was familiar."

Harry stepped back. He surveyed the area - empty, an odd place for a purse-snatcher to run to. He tapped his glasses.

"We're in a dead zone."

This had all the makings of a trap.

"Humans are funny creatures." Echoed a voice from further inside the warehouse, and oh, no, now Harry recognized it too. With a sharp gleam and a click the woman stepped out. "Give them a means of destroying themselves and they'll do all the work for you."

"Who the fuck are you?" Eggsy demanded "Why've you been after us?"

"I am Mercury." Said the woman "But Galahad knows me as Gazelle."

Eggsy glanced at him. He realized he'd been staring, his lips a thin line, his mind running a thousand and one possible scenarios at once. Gazelle looked the same as she always had, sleek black hair and sleeker black clothes. Of course, now she had legs of literal steel to complete the look.

"Harry, what?"

"Valentine's second in command. She has control over metal." He replied, then "I wasn't aware you survived."

"You weren't aware of many things, Galahad. Valentine and your Arthur saved me, before you killed them." Her voice snapped on the words, rage and hate evident.

"I'd been shot. As far as I knew I was dead at the time." He looked at her "Just what is it you want?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, and the building began to hum "Revenge."

Riotous noise followed her statement as the building's metal frame twisted and tore from the ground. Harry and Eggsy dived for the door, barely slipping through before the whole of the structure broke into a living weapon.

"Shit!" Eggsy yelled "Harry, we can't fight her on our own!"

Harry nodded. They could fight, and they could win, but at the expense, most likely, of the UK. "Stall her as long as you can while I try to contact Merlin."

He waited for resolve to solidify in Eggsy's eyes, a jerky nod, and then he was off, running back through the industrial graveyard in search of civilization. He jammed on his glasses, receiving a rare ' _unavailable, please try again_ ' that he never let get past ' _un_ -.'

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a bright flash - Eggsy had far more power at his disposal than Harry before he became a cataclysm, and he was using it. If he had to guess, this was what he'd been trying to do in the tower that morning. Brightly glowing balls of light hovered in the air like massive fireflies, dive bombing Gazelle in quick succession in a flickering, crackling mass of explosions that ruffled her hair from behind her hastily-made shields of iron and lead.

The ground lurched under his feet and he started running again, holding the call button as he did. Gazelle's powers were frightful. They suspected, years ago when she'd been a key part in controlling billions of metallic sim cards, that her powers weren't yet _fully mature_. He had a sinking feeling as the wind picked up that they were now.

"Harry what the fuck is going on?!"

"Merlin, thank fuck. Gazelle isn't dead, she's cornered us on the wharf-"

"Harry, she's trying to _stop the Earth's rotation_!" Merlin yelled.

"What-"

A deafening rent of metal interrupted his train of thought. He turned just in time to break Eggsy's fall, slamming into the warehouse behind them when he hit and dropping to the ground. There was a hole in a composite aluminum building across from them where Eggsy'd been thrown through.

"Fuck. She's strong, Harry," Eggsy moaned, struggling to his knees.

Merlin was shouting in his ear, half instructions and half obscenities. Other, familiar voices rose in the background, half a dozen hero base leaders and increasing.

"What good is this filthy world without Valentine?" Gazelle asked, stepping through the hole.

* * *

The blackest darkness came up on either side of them, Harry's voice in Eggsy's ear as he spoke. "Eggsy, give her everything you've got."

Eggsy looked back at him, stunned. Like hell he was going to give her everything, even he didn't know where the upper bound on his powers lay.

"She's toying with us. Most of her power is going to manipulating the planet's core."

"What?"

"She's destroying the Earth, Eggsy. Do it."

"Are you fuckin'-" Eggsy whipped around to the woman, her smug, victorious gaze and disinterested smile now even more sinister. "Alright." he said, and raised his hands. "You better not let me blow up the city, Harry," was all the warning he gave.

He'd never uncapped his power before. With a deep, focusing breath he let go, and the energy surged forth with enough force to rattle his bones. It pushed the air from its path as it blasted out of him, set fire to what it touched, and slammed into Gazelle with the force of a supernova.

And she took it.

"Harry," Eggsy managed over the roaring, endless blaze that still poured from him. It didn't seem to end, but Gazelle was ripping metal from the earth faster than it would melt to block the shot.

"Everything you've got, Eggsy!" Harry shouted. Distantly Eggsy noticed the stars overhead were being swallowed, more the longer the blast lasted. It was a night of firsts, it seemed. With a war cry he dug deep and drew every last shred of atomic energy from his heart, from wherever it came from, and shoved it into the night sky. He shut his eyes as the burst flared and dropped his hands, falling against Harry's chest.

For a while, there was silence.

It couldn't have been long when Eggsy opened his eyes, but he felt sluggish, the ugly heat lessened so much inside him that he might have almost said he was _cold_. He drew himself away from Harry, searching for Gazelle.

He spotted her lying, singed but alive, on the grubby, steaming tar by the blown-out remains of the warehouse. There was a tunnel behind her stretching out along the ground and into the air, and in the distance a hole was cut in far-away drifting clouds.

"You know, I never got why so many people want to destroy the world when literally all of them live on it," Eggsy muttered. Gazelle shifted weakly, shoving a glob of misshapen metal off with her hands rather than her power. Giddiness rose in Eggsy's chest.

"Harry, we did it, we won!" He cried. He almost turned when Harry didn't respond, but Gazelle's laughter kept him from doing so.

"You may have beaten me, but I am the one who won." she said, coughing "Did you think I couldn't stop the Earth? I never intended to do it myself. I saw you on the news, human apocalypses. I followed you to understand your powers. And I have done nothing to you." She pointed at them - at Harry, "Know that what you lose today, you take from yourselves."

"Eggsy-" Eggsy did turn then, and suddenly felt small. Endless darkness sprawled out from where Harry was kneeling, closing from either side and reaching up into the sky, spilling between his fingers where they were pressed tight over his black eye. " _Run_."

"Ha-" Harry shut his eyes and was gone.

Everything was gone. Eggsy blew out his powers again, setting free what he hadn't already burned off in a glimmering sphere around himself. The darkness was cold and absolute, raging so silently it seemed still. It was his job to contain it, he was _meant_ to be containing it...but he couldn't imagine why. He took a shuddering breath as his power was, for the first time since it manifested, quiet. A fizzling murmur of warmth struggling against the echoing abyss rather than a nuclear bomb contained only by his skin. Eggsy suddenly realized how _tired_ he was, how exhausted he'd been for what felt like years. Either he fell or the darkness came up to envelope him, cradle him, but it hardly mattered which as his eyes drifted shut.

Wrapped in the gentle void, he didn't hear the careful footsteps that approached.

"It's like starlight," someone murmured, thoughtfully reverent.

* * *

"Jesus," Merlin whispered under the beat of the helicopter's blades, perched in the open hatchway. The city was dark, thanks, he assumed, to the nuclear side of Eggsy's powers, hit like the best and brightest of an enemy had set off an EMP in the heart of London. But it wasn't as dark as the crackling mass of emptiness that had become the wharf.

Blocks wide and stories high, Merlin imagined it a stadium of deafening silence and chill death. He raised his hands, probably for the last time - even if he succeeded in closing the breach, it was going to take more than he could recover from to do it. He started laying the framework for the barrier.

"Amelia, get ready," he called, "And tell the others to hurry the fuck up."

Amelia, uncharacteristically, hesitated.

"Merlin, I don't think it's getting bigger."

There was a retort on the tip of his tongue, Harry's usual ' _the void never looks like it's getting closer until suddenly it has you'_ ringing in his ears, but the barrier framework had yet to be touched.

For a costly second, he hesitated too.

"It's not getting bigger," Merlin agreed.

"Does Nightshade have a limit?"

"No," Harry'd broken every record and test Merlin had thrown at him when he woke up. He was fully capable of swallowing the Earth and much more besides. Like Eggsy, he was-

Like Eggsy. He'd been _right_. When the void had shut under his barrier in the bank like a well-oiled door he'd made a guess, that something about their powers matched, controlled. But what it did to them, he didn't know.

"Is it fading?!" Amelia cried, a glittering excitement in her eyes. Nerves of steel, that woman, Merlin thought appreciatively. Seconds from a brush with oblivion and already more interested in why they'd survived than the fact that they would, probably, now survive.

Because it _was_ fading. Slowly at first, like someone was increasing the transparency on the black dome one percentage at a time, then faster until it was gone, leaving the wharf untouched in its wake.

"Get people down there, I want Gazelle in custody and Nightshade and Nuke in the infirmary."

But, try as they might, the ground team couldn't locate the heroes of the day.

* * *

Eggsy was floating.

He felt as light as air, drifting and swaying, warm for the most part, relaxed for the first time in years. Slowly he came around to the soft, rhythmic sound of footsteps.

"Eggsy," the footsteps paused. Eggsy opened his eyes and found his head pillowed on Harry's shoulder. Harry was looking down at him, seemingly unbothered by Eggsy's weight, cradled as Eggsy was in his arms. The world seemed slow and empty. The streets were bare, people and light absent. Something cold landed on Eggsy's nose and Harry blinked, then turned his gaze to the sky. "It's snowing."

Eggsy watched, settling his forehead against Harry's neck, as the delicate, silent flakes descended. Flickering on to a beat only they knew, the streetlights began to creep on towards them. Harry started walking again and Eggsy didn't have a mind to care where they were going.

There was a buzz in his ear, an agitated fizzle of static, then "Nightshade! Nuke!"

"We can hear you, Merlin," Harry replied, "there's no need to yell."

Merlin made an inhuman sound in their ears and Harry seemed amused by it. "You can't just run off after almost obliterating half the town! This isn't the eighties!"

"Eggsy was sleeping."

"Damn it Harry, I thought you'd destroyed each other!"

"Negated." Harry corrected "We negated each other, just as you'd planned."

"I didn't plan it-"

"Oi," Eggsy thumped Harry on the chest, ignoring the rest of the tirade. Power must have been down in most of the city still, Merlin sounded all soft like he had when he was disconnected from the world. "What's he on about?"

"He's worried." Harry said, drawing Eggsy up a little closer to his heart. Merlin sighed at them, generating an odd crackle. "Are you using a radio?" Harry asked, smiling.

"Yes," Merlin grumbled, and didn't elaborate.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Merlin."

Another grumble, then the line cut out. Eggsy closed his eyes again.

They ended up at Harry's apartment, which was cleaner than Eggsy had once imagined, but it was a clever deception as every surface was still covered in random, unidentifiable objects.

"I'm afraid we missed dinner," Harry said, frowning tiredly at his freezer. Eggsy snagged an aging bag of chicken nuggets and settled into a chair to eat them.

"Wouldn't you like to cook those?" Harry asked. Eggsy offered him the steaming bag.

"Nuclear. I'm fuckin' spent, Harry, this was actually hard."

Harry, still dazed - and Eggsy was at least aware enough now to recognize they were both dazed as fuck - cracked a smile and sat down beside him.

"I can't let your effort go to waste, then." he said, reaching into the bag. He made a face when the first nugget hit his tongue and Eggsy laughed.

"Should have known you'd have expensive tastes. Why've you even got these?"

"I honestly have no idea." Harry munched contemplatively on another nugget, eyeing a tiny black disk of nothingness hovering over his free hand. With what looked like great care, Harry formed a long, thin, flaming sword from the point. It broke out in unruly, jagged edges here and there, all along the blade and the cross of the hilt, but it otherwise held its form.

"Thought you couldn't do that no more."

"I couldn't." Harry twirled the thing around, a shaped void. "But I don't have enough power left at the moment to run over and cause problems. It's coming back, but if we ever need to keep fighting after we do this, I'll have something."

Eggsy searched inward and found that Harry was right, the power was returning, building back up like a lake fed by a spring.

They finished off the bag and Harry led him to a bedroom, where he produced a pair of loose-fitting lounge pants for Eggsy to change into. When Eggsy came back he found Harry already in pajamas of his own. He had a nervous air about him, and when Eggsy frowned at the bed he jumped to the most likely conclusion.

"I'll take the couch," he offered.

"Nah, no point."

Harry blinked, and Eggsy rubbed tired eyes. _Damn_ his powers. "What is it?"

"I don't know if I can."

"Can what?"

"Sleep," he gestured to his chest.

"Ah." Harry took a few measured steps closer, eyed him consideringly. Then he raised his hand and hovered it in front of the dim light wavering beneath Eggsy's skin, another flat, controlled black disk manifesting.

"Try doing what you did when you were trapped."

"Trapped." He repeated.

Harry nodded "After I told you to run, you started shining."

"Oh. Did I?" Harry nodded again, and Eggsy searched his memory for the feeling. Then he closed his eyes, and, in smaller scale, tried it out.

"Lovely," Harry said quietly. Eggsy emphatically agreed - though he couldn't attest for what it looked like, the energy fizzing in his chest quieted and lessened almost instantaneously. Harry caught him about the waist when he stumbled, closing the void and holding Eggsy up with his palm rested against Eggsy's skin. Eggsy looked up at him, found his gaze fond. The hand on his chest slid up to gently cradle his face.

The kiss was soft and gentle, could almost have been considered platonic had Eggsy not grabbed the back of Harry's neck and made it anything but. There was nothing quite like it, the shuddering feeling that arced down his spine when he kissed Harry. He chased it as he raised up on his toes, eager for more, eager for Harry. Harry drew him close, thumb stroking Eggsy's cheek. He seemed to be being careful.

Probably because he remembered they were dead on their feet. Eggsy's energy ran out long before he wanted it to, his knees beginning to tremble under his weight where he stood. He drew away and Harry saw whatever signs he was giving off that he was one nudge from another collapse.

"Come on," Harry said warmly, and Eggsy found himself lifted into Harry's arms again.

Bits of his brain that were coming back online suggested he ought to protest at the manhandling. He ignored them. Harry settled him on the bed, and Eggsy had enough time to register Harry tucking in around him and smile before he fell asleep.

* * *

Sunlight filtered in through the curtains, frost and a dusting of snow curling about the edges of the window panes, but Eggsy was warm, content, and for once, well-rested.

He yawned, cracking his jaw, and turned to look up at Harry. He'd woken up tucked into Harry's side, a good angle to admire his relaxed expression and thoroughly mussed hair.

"Hey," he tried. He had a feeling it was getting late, and he was almost certain Harry was actually awake.

Harry proved him right by frowning at him without opening his eyes. Then, with a mumbled disagreement, he bundling Eggsy back up against his chest as he turned away from the daylight. "Not a morning person?" Eggsy asked, amused.

"No," a pause "Are you?"

"Maybe."

Harry cracked his black eye open and Eggsy almost laughed at the melodramatic gravity it gave him. "That settles it, this partnership will never work. We're simply too different. I'm afraid you are no longer welcome in this house."

"If you want me to leave you're going to have to let me go." Eggsy tapped Harry's arm for emphasis.

"I said you're not welcome in the house, that has nothing to do with my bed." Harry replied, closing his eyes again and tucking Eggsy closer.

"But I can't fly, so how can I leave?"

"You should have thought of that before coming in."

"So I have to stay in your bed forever. Kinky." Eggsy grinned, and Harry finally smiled into his hair.

* * *

Eventually they made it to the tower, and Eggsy wondered idly what it would take to strip away the warm cloud of happiness that had ensconced him all morning.

"Gazelle is in custody," Merlin informed them when they entered his office "As is most of her network. When you said you'd see me tomorrow, I expected morning."

"You knew we were fine." Harry contested.

"I knew no such thing. You're both to head to medical, I want to make sure neither of you has radiation poisoning or some other form of death," he waved, dismissing them, but caught Harry's arm before he left. "It worked," it was half a question, half a statement.

"Yes. His powers had somewhere to burn off to, and mine were at last satisfied." Eggsy turned, flashed him a grin when he saw he was held up by Merlin.

"You look happy," Merlin said, suspicion coloring his voice.

"Of course," Harry replied "It's the start of a new legend. And I do so love beginnings."


	10. Epilogue

"No!" shouted the villain of the week as Eggsy leapt out of the way, and, coincidentally, out of the window. The explosion that cracked through the air and shot fire into the sky wasn't even his fault. The idiot had, in some fit of madness, disguised his 'self-destruct' button as a 'disable' button.

He plummeted down along blackened windows and watched the billowing, fluffy clouds of fire and smoke bloom as he went. The rush of wind in his ears kept him from noticing the batmobile (christened such by Eggsy, circa one year ago that day), until he fell through the roof and landed in a heap in Harry's lap.

"Hello darling," Harry greeted, for once driving.

"Hey love," Eggsy smiled, leaning up to steal a kiss and knocking into Harry's glasses when he did. "Nice catch."

"Was there ever any doubt?" He asked, closing the roof hatch and kicking the car into high gear. Eggsy spared a glance for the burning skyscraper growing small behind them.

"Shouldn't we do somethin' about that?"

"Merlin can take care of it. We're due at the tower in five minutes."

As if on cue, Daisy shrieked with joy from the other seat. Eggsy tipped his head back to look at her. She, at least, seemed pleased to be brought along on the mission. He doubted his mum would feel the same.

"Shit," he said with feeling.

"Language," Harry said as he gunned it.

* * *

"Nightshade, Starshot," Amelia greeted when they raced in, car stowed and the worst of the soot on Eggsy's clothes dusted off, and nodded to the lifts. "Michelle just arrived."

The lift dinged, admitting one Michelle Unwin. "There's my Dais! Hello sweetheart, did you have a good time with Eggsy and Harry?" She swept in and took her daughter out of Harry's arms and into her own, all smiles, "Any trouble?"

"Nope, none." Eggsy said, hoping he didn't sound too breathless.

Michelle hugged him and headed off, chatting with Daisy, whose exclamations about explosions could be chalked up to the TV. They hoped.

Eggsy slumped when the doors closed again, putting both hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"That was too close." He complained.

Harry hummed in agreement, leaning on the wall like it was a coincidence "You know, if you lived downtown this wouldn't be as much of a problem," his voice was light. Too light.

"Not this again."

"You stay over at my apartment more anyway," Harry began.

"Because it's within walking distance to work; I don't want to live there _all the time_. Mine's further outside the city, it's nicer."

"Your apartment is too sleek and modern - so much space is taken up for aesthetic value there's little room for anything else."

"Like yours isn't bursting at the seams with books and finery and dog pictures and anything you happen to take a shine to. And you haven't got any parks nearby for J.B." He sighed "Honestly, we should just buy a house and be done with it," This last Eggsy muttered, scowling at the blue paint on his hand. He hoped it was Daisy's washable stuff, because if that idiot had rigged his self-destruct button with tamper dye Eggsy was going to find him and skin him.

He noticed a heavy silence in the room a moment later and found Harry staring at him.

"Did you mean that?" Harry asked, his voice soft.

"I..." He hadn't really been thinking about it, but now that he was he congratulated himself on a wonderful suggestion. "Yeah. Yeah I did."

And then they were grinning stupidly at each other, the rest of the world forgotten.

"Touching as this is," Merlin said, striding in and lifting a copy of The Sun off his clipboard "I thought you might want to know you've made the news again."

Eggsy blinked at the image. He figured the shot would look rather good if it weren't printed on the paper equivalent of a CRT monitor. Harry was turned away from the camera, but one side of his face was still visible enough to show his smile. Eggsy was actually the focus of the frame - the paper barely did justice to his ruddy cheeks and besotted grin. They were standing close enough that there was no mistaking their relationship.

"So, I guess that's out then."

"I've booked you a TV spot to get ahead of the press." Merlin agreed. He stopped to talk to Amelia, then, and Harry took the paper from him.

"Think it'll go with the rest of the covers?" Eggsy asked.

"I think I'm going to need a bigger office in our house." Harry observed, and that set them grinning again until Harry got distracted by something on his hand.

"That's odd," he said eventually.

"What love?"

"I'm quite sure I scuffed my knuckles yesterday."

They both stared at the unbroken skin on his hand for a while, puzzled. Then their eyes met at the same time.

"Daisy!" they cried, startling Merlin and Amelia into looking at them.

"My little Dais, she's gonna be so great!" Eggsy found himself hauled into Harry's arms, both of them laughing "Do y' think she can help James?"

"I don't know. She'll need training," Harry said consideringly "but this is his best chance."

"'S weird though, isn't it? They ain't even related."

"Nonsense. You'll always be his family." Harry said it like he knew, like he understood, and Eggsy kissed him for it.


End file.
